JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Cobalt Order
by DittoExodus
Summary: Joshua Johannson never thought that he would be thrust into a fight against a vast conspiracy of enemy Stand users who seek fragments of the Arrow at any cost. But when the sinister Cobalt Order kidnaps him and gives him a Stand, he finds himself doing just that. Funny how life works out sometimes.
1. A Bizarre Encounter

-Friday, 8:00 PM, Harrison High School Football Field-

The bright spotlights shone like magnified stars against the inky darkness of the night, looking down upon the field below. Cheers rang out from the bleachers as the blue and gold uniforms of the Harrison High School Football Team - The Fighting Submariners - clashed against those of the rival Clapton High School. As the players attacked one another, vying for control of the ball, a sudden breakaway occurred. A lone Submariner shot past Clapton's green and white defense and, ball tucked deep in his arm, sped straight as an arrow towards the opposing goal. He went ten yards, twenty yards, headed for thirty, before being brought down by the full force tackle of an oversized linebacker who had caught up with him. Still, the crowd cheered, as it had been an incredible play. More importantly, it had been a good play for their team. That Clapton still had a sizable lead in points was no longer any concern, at least for the moment.

Joshua also cheered as the play was made, though he had to admit that he wasn't terribly excited about the game. For all the talk of Harrison and Clapton being big rivals, it had been decades since Harrison had won a single game against them, and it seemed like tonight would be no different; just the typical yearly blowout of Harrison High School's dignity. Not only that, but the night brought with it a chilling wind that turned the metal bleachers into ice. Joshua shivered, bundling himself deeper into his coat. If he was being perfectly honest, he didn't even really like football that much. The reason he came to these games was the sense of spirit that filled the air every time the Submariners made a goal - the camaraderie he shared with his fellow students. _Of course, that only works when the team you're cheering for actually makes goals_ , Joshua moodily thought to himself.

His stomach growled. _At least the food is decent_ , Joshua thought. As the players on the field set up for another charge, he gathered his belongings and headed down to the snack hut. The grounds were packed with people milling about, moving to and from their seats or simply standing around and enjoying the game from a closer spot. Joshua wove through the crowd, dodging the people walking from the hut and avoiding any stationary clusters.

As Joshua moved to the line in front of the snack hut, a flash of movement from the dark alley next to the hut caught his eye. Ordinarily he would've given it no thought, but there had been something very strange about what he had seen. He wasn't sure, but Joshua thought he had seen a stray metal pipe lift off the ground and disappear behind the hut all on its own.

Joshua looked around. No one else seemed to have noticed the pipe move. Perhaps it was only a trick of the light. Someone behind the alley had probably picked up the pipe, and Joshua just hadn't seen their hand in the darkness. There was absolutely no reason to think about it any more. And yet…

As Joshua continued to stand outside the line, he couldn't stop thinking about the pipe. It couldn't have moved on its own, and yet Joshua was certain that he hadn't seen anyone touch it. He decided to quickly check behind the hut, prove to himself that nothing weird had happened, and put the whole thing out of his mind. Joshua walked through the alley, only to find a frankly bizarre scene unfolding behind the snack hut.

The pipe was laying on the ground, but now there was a deep bend in the middle. Joshua barely noticed this, however, as his attention was mostly focused on the two other people behind the hut. The one closest to Joshua looked about his age, maybe a little older. He had very pale skin and jet black hair that had a shaved pattern on one side. One of his ears was pierced with a gold stud, and he was wearing a black and gold patterned tracksuit. He was crouching, staring with gritted determination on the other person in the alley.

The other man was, in one word, massive. He was at least six feet tall, and built like a brick wall. His muscles bulged through his white muscle shirt. Pinned to the shirt was a dark blue emblem. His hair was cropped short, and his nose had been bloodied. He was returning Tracksuit Guy's stare with the exact same intensity. Neither seemed to have noticed Joshua's entrance.

Joshua felt a seriously menacing aura pervading the scene before him. The other people in the alley both looked like serious thugs. Judging by Muscle Shirt Guy's bloody nose, they had been fighting. But then, if they had been fighting, why were they so far apart from each other? Everything about this felt incredibly off. Whatever it was, Joshua knew he wanted nothing to do with it. He needed to exit the alley before the thugs noticed him, return to the game, and pretend that he hadn't seen anything. Before he could, Tracksuit Guy smirked, beginning to chuckle.

"You having trouble keeping up there?" Tracksuit Guy said. "Maybe you need me to stop for a second? Let you get a couple free hits in?" He stayed crouched, not moving an inch.

"Let's see you laugh once your face is pounded into the ground," Muscle Shirt Guy panted. "Cocky bitch!" It sounded as if he was about to lunge, yet he too didn't move at all. And then the strangest thing yet happened.

Neither man had moved from their spot, but Muscle Shirt Guy suddenly reeled back as if he had been punched. He then reeled back again, this time in the opposite direction. He grunted, but still didn't move toward Tracksuit Guy. Then, through some unseen force, Muscle Shirt Guy was shoved against the chain link fence. The entire time, Tracksuit Guy remained in a crouching position with a smug look on his face. "You're the one who attacked me," Tracksuit Guy said with a shrug. "I'm just defending myself."

Joshua couldn't believe his eyes. What was happening? Somehow Tracksuit Guy was fighting Muscle Shirt Guy - and winning - without touching him or even moving. How could this be possible? Joshua didn't understand what was going on, but his brain was telling him to get out - something very dangerous was going on. Despite all the alarm bells going off in his head, his body wouldn't move. Joshua was frozen in fear.

No, he wasn't just frozen in fear. Joshua looked down at his feet, only to discover that his feet had somehow become trapped within the pavement. Terror started to fill his mind as he struggled to free his feet, only to find he couldn't move them at all. Joshua lost his balance, and fell on the ground with a thud. As he fell, he involuntarily let out a panicked yelp.

Tracksuit Guy and Muscle Shirt Guy, noticing the yelp, suddenly turned to look at Joshua. At least, Muscle Shirt Guy looked at him. Tracksuit Guy seemed to be looking at something - or someone - behind Joshua. "Ah shi-"

Then something heavy struck the back of Joshua's head, and everything went black.

 **-To Be Continued- Awakened Power (Act 1)**

* * *

 **Alright, welcome to my first published story here! This has been over a year of planning and procrastination in the making (mostly the latter), and I'm really excited to share it now. A new chapter will hopefully come out every couple weeks or so. Constructive feedback is always appreciated, so leave a review below if you feel like it.**


	2. Awakened Power (Act 1)

Joshua's neck hurt.

Well, not just his neck. His entire body was stiff and sore, and his head felt like a Riverdance class had been practicing inside his skull. But his neck hurt the most. It felt raw somehow, a white-hot pain, all of his nerves crying out for relief. Joshua had never felt such an intense pain in his life. It was so agonizing, so severe, that he couldn't focus on anything but the pain, and how badly it hurt, and how he wished more than anything that it would stop.

And then, suddenly, all the pain in his neck vanished, as if there had never been any pain in the first place. Joshua blinked in shock. How could such an acute pain just disappear? With a groan, he sat up, and brought a still numb hand to his neck. Joshua felt something warm and wet on his neck, and looked at his hand to see blood. Joshua wasn't usually the type of person to feel faint at the sight of blood, but he still flinched. Why was there blood on his neck? Was it...his blood? Joshua's hands flew over his face and neck. If it was his blood, then why didn't he seem to be hurt at all? Did that mean the blood was someone else's? Joshua recoiled. He wasn't sure which possibility was worse.

He looked at his surroundings for the first time. He appeared to be in some kind of operating room, and he had been lying on the operating table in the middle of the room. The harsh fluorescent lights overhead made Joshua headache pound even harder. A nearby cardiac monitor beeped; Joshua realized that electrodes had been strapped to his chest, and an IV had been inserted into his arm as well. There was only one door, and on the opposite wall was a giant window of darkened glass which Joshua couldn't see through. On a small table next to Joshua, where one would expect to see a variety of surgeon's tools, was a single jagged piece of metal. The piece of metal was also covered in fresh blood.

Was he in some kind of hospital? Outside the room, Joshua could faintly hear an alarm blaring. What was going on? Right now, Joshua had far too many questions and no answers. His head throbbed. A sense of dread came over him as he remembered what had happened at the football game. Joshua didn't know what was going on, but he could feel that it was nothing good. He needed to get out now, before anything else could happen. He stood up from the table, then staggered, feeling weak in the legs. He had to lean against the table for support. He realized the table was also was splattered with fresh blood.

Suddenly, the darkened window exploded as a figure crashed through it. Joshua looked up to see Tracksuit Guy lying on the ground. Tracksuit Guy now sported a nasty gash on his forehead, which was bleeding profusely. Muscle Shirt Guy stepped over the frame of the now broken window into the room. "What's wrong, kid?" Muscle Shirt Guy said, a wicked gleam in his eyes. "Where's that cocky fucking smirk you had the last we fought?"

Tracksuit Guy gritted his teeth in frustration. He looked at Muscle Shirt Guy from the ground, and yelled, " **[Sabaton]**!"

A shimmer of light appeared around Tracksuit Guy, and then - there could be no other way to describe it - the light _transformed_. It took on a humanoid shape, and with a flash, it was no longer a shimmer of light, but a…

Something. Joshua didn't quite know was he was looking at, but seeing it made it head feel even worse. The thing that had come from the shimmer of light looked kind of like a human, but it definitely was not. Its body was light pink, with red markings. The markings ran up and down its body, collecting in the thing's entirely red fingers. A pair of small wings sprouted from either side of its head, while other pairs sprouted from the backs of its feet. Its face...Joshua shivered. The thing had no nose, its eyes were pure black and beady, and its mouth was full of razor sharp teeth arranged in an evil grin. On some level, it reminded Joshua of a shark.

The thing wasted no time, immediately lunging towards Muscle Shirt Guy. Muscle Shirt Guy did not react to this strange turn of events, but instead a similar shimmer of light appeared around him, manifesting into another strange humanoid figure. Unlike the one that appeared next to Tracksuit Guy, this figure looked a lot more robotic. It was covered in shiny black armor, and there were tubes connecting from the back of its neck to its arms filled with bright glowing blue liquid. On its face, in place of its eyes, was a single small opening which glowed with the same blue color as the tubes. Despite seemingly being made of metal, it was every bit as muscular as Muscle Shirt Guy, if not more so.

The black figure quickly moved in front of Muscle Shirt Guy, raising a fist to intercept the pink figure. Just as they were about to collide, the pink figure vanished, reappearing behind the black figure directly to Muscle Shirt Guy's left. Muscle Shirt Guy only smiled. "Too slow!" Suddenly, the black figure turned and slammed its fist into the pink figure's head with incredible speed. Tracksuit Guy gave a yell of pain and surprise, as the pink figure flew from the force of the punch. It bounced once before vanishing again, this time reappearing in front of Tracksuit Guy.

"Impossible!" Tracksuit Guy spat. "How did you get so fast?"

Muscle Shirt Guy began to laugh. "Stupid child. My Stand, **[Power]** , cannot be beaten in speed or strength. The instant something stronger or faster than it attacks it, my Stand's abilities grow to match!" He threw his hands out as the black figure began to move. "It will never be defeated! It's the ultimate Stand!"

Joshua felt like his head was going to explode. What was going on? What were those strange things? Had they been in the alley? If so, why didn't he see them then? What were they talking about with...stands? He clutched at his head, groaning. Everything was so confusing, and yet there was a growing feeling in the base of his mind that he was missing something. At least he hadn't been noticed in the heat of the moment.

Muscle Shirt Guy was still laughing as the black figure slowly walked toward Tracksuit Guy. Tracksuit Guy had stood up, and was supporting himself on the operating table. The pink figure stood in front of him in a fighting stance. The alarm was still blaring. Joshua's head throbbed. As he watched the black figure move closer and closer, he knew somehow that the pink figure wouldn't be able to defend Tracksuit Guy. The black figure raised its arm.

Another wave of pain bounced through Joshua's head, this one the most painful yet. Joshua fell over in agony, crying out involuntarily. Out of the corner of his eye, a flash of green flew by. Suddenly all the pain in Joshua's head left, as quick as the pain as his neck had. Momentarily disoriented by the sudden clarity, Joshua looked up to see what had happened.

The black figure did not have its arm raised anymore. Instead, it had stumbled back. Muscle Shirt Guy's nose was once again bloody, and he was clutching his face in pain. Standing in front of Tracksuit Guy and the pink figure, its fist outstretched, was a new humanoid. This one was covered in large green scales, and had two spiky horns on the top of its head. The ends of its hands were sharp, black claws. Large, leathery wings unfurled from its back. Its tail thumped against the ground. It was, all in all, a very intimidating figure.

And yet, Joshua wasn't afraid. Something deep within him was telling him that he was in control the green humanoid. No, that wasn't it. It was more like...he was the green figure, somehow. Joshua still couldn't explain how this was happening or why, but that didn't seem to matter right now. For the first time since waking up, his mind was clear.

Muscle Shirt Guy wiped the blood from his nose. "Well, well, well," he said to Joshua, "Looks like you survived. Got yourself a pretty little Stand, too. No matter." The black figure raised its fists. "You're still nothing compared to me. I'll take you down just like I take down anyone who tries to best my **[Power]**!"

 **-To Be Continued- Awakened Power (Act 2)**

* * *

 **Stand User: Lucas Commodus (Muscle Shirt Guy)**

 **Stand Name: [Power]**

 **Power: A**

 **Speed: A**

 **Range: C**

 **Durability: B**

 **Precision: C**

 **Developmental Potential: B**

 **Counterpunch: While Power is already exceedingly strong, should it get struck by a blow that is stronger than its own, it will instantly copy that blow's strength in its own attacks. This new strength will not decrease (essentially making this strength Power's new base power), meaning Power will always be the strongest contender in a fight. The same thing happens to Power's reaction speed when it is struck by a blow faster than its own.**


	3. Awakened Power (Act 2)

"You're still nothing compared to me. I'll take you down just like I take down anyone who tries to best my **[Power]**!"

With that, the black figure - Power, he had called it - rushed toward Joshua and the green figure. The green figure flew forward to meet its punch, catching it with one hand and returning a punch of its own with the other. Muscle Shirt Guy lurched backwards as the green figure's scaly fist collided with Power's metallic head.

Joshua couldn't precisely explain how he was controlling the green figure. It was as if the green figure was responding to instincts buried deep within his mind. There was also some sort of sensory connection; Joshua felt his fist collide with Power, and saw through the green figure's eyes on top of his own vision. The extra stimulation should've been overwhelming, but Joshua was surprised to find that he had no trouble taking in everything. None of what was happening made any sense, but Joshua wasn't complaining. If this figure, whatever it was, could allow Joshua to defend himself against Muscle Shirt Guy and Power, then he could wait for explanations.

Muscle Shirt Guy cracked his knuckles. "That Stand deals out a pretty nice punch, all right. But if that's all you got…" Power rushed forward again. "Then I'll have no trouble taking you out!"

Once again, the green figure caught Power's punch. Before it could return the blow, Power shoved the green figure's arm into its gut. Joshua gasped with shock as the air was driven out of his lungs. He doubled over, clutching his stomach in pain. Power slammed its other arm into the side of the green figure's head. The force of the blow reverberated inside Joshua's skull. He cursed his stupidity. If he could feel everything that the green figure felt, of course he would share its pain as well. Still, all things considered, the blow hadn't affected him too much. He hadn't been thrown across the room by the punch like Tracksuit Guy.

Muscle Shirt Guy grunted. "That should've knocked your head from your shoulders." The green figure had retreated to Joshua's side. "Durability and power...it's a good thing I'm taking you out here, kid. You might've become a real pain in our side otherwise." Power began to move towards Joshua once more, when it's path was suddenly interrupted by a pink kick to its head.

Amidst the chaos of the fight, both Joshua and Muscle Shirt Guy had forgotten about Tracksuit Guy, who had made his way to Joshua's side behind the operating table. The pink figure had appeared in front of Power, attacked it, and teleported back to Tracksuit Guy's side before Power could react.

"You okay?" Tracksuit Guy asked. Joshua gave a weak nod, not knowing what to say. "You probably have a lot of questions. I can answer them for you," Tracksuit Guy said. His voice was thin and gravely. "But we've got to deal with this guy first," he said, motioning toward Muscle Shirt Guy and Power. Power had begun to move again. "That Stand - it's a dangerous one. It managed to catch Sabaton. No one's ever done that before." Tracksuit Guy said. He looked at Joshua with sullen, tired eyes. "I know you just got your Stand, but if it's got some trick up its sleeve, now would be a good time to use it."

Joshua looked at the green figure. At its scales, and horns, and wings. An idea came to him from the same recesses of his mind that told him how to control the green figure. "We can't attack it from up close…"

"Not without getting hit," Tracksuit Guy agreed. Joshua stood up to face Muscle Shirt Guy and Power. "What are you doing?" Tracksuit Guy said. "Do you have a plan, or-"

"Something like that," Joshua said. He looked at the green figure again. "I'm not entirely sure, but I think I know how to take this guy down."

Joshua should have been freaking out, he knew. He had never been in a fight before, much less a fight via remote control of weird humanoid figures. Stands? But rather than being terrifying, the situation was exhilarating. Joshua's heart was pounding, and he had never felt more alive. The green figure flew forward to meet Power once more.

"Idiot," Muscle Shirt Guy sneered, and Power drew back its fist. Just as the two Stands were about to connect, the green figure suddenly stopped, moving backwards to avoid Power's punch. The momentum of the punch caused Power to stumble. Before it could recover, the green figure opened its mouth and - just as Joshua knew it would - a plume of fire came out.

Muscle Shirt Guy screamed as his Stand was engulfed in flame. The fire rolled over Power's muscular body, searing its black frame. It struggled to stand as the flame continued to pour out of the green figure's mouth. Finally, the green figure stopped, as Joshua bent over out of breath. Taking advantage of Power's sudden helplessness, Sabaton streaked forward and landed a number of fast punches and kicks on the prone Stand, before disappearing back to its owner's side once more.

The flames burning Power went out quickly with nothing to sustain them. Muscle Shirt Guy's skin was bright red, and his clothes were smoking. His Stand didn't look so great either: parts of its metallic frame had been seared gray by the flames, and its visor was cracked. It seemed like the damage Joshua and Tracksuit Guy had done to Muscle Shirt Guy and his Stand was starting to wear them down. Shakily, Muscle Shirt Guy stood. "Nice try," he panted, as Power started to move again, "But you can't -"

" **GRA-DA**!" The green figure's mouth opened again with a yell, glowing. This time, the fire that came from its mouth was not a plume of fire, but a large, concentrated ball of red energy. The fireball caught Power in the center of its chest, sending it and Muscle Shirt Guy flying against the wall. As Muscle Shirt Guy slumped against the ground, unconscious, Power disappeared.

There was a moment of stunned silence. The realization of everything that had happened swept over Joshua. Had he really just done all that? Commanding a power he never even knew he had, fighting a guy with the same power, setting him on fire, winning - it was all so overwhelming. He was frozen in shock, not knowing what to do. He felt exhausted.

Then Tracksuit Guy lightly punched his arm, and all the tension left his body. Joshua had to lean against the table to keep himself from collapsing. He didn't know whether to laugh, cry, or pass out.

If Tracksuit Guy noticed Joshua's sudden weakness, he didn't give any indication of it. "Nice job, man!" he said cheerily. "Taking out a guy like that; you got a real powerhouse of a Stand there." He extended a hand. "I'm Daniel." Joshua was too mentally exhausted to respond. The alarm was still blaring.

After an extended silence, Daniel let his arm drop. "We should probably get out of here," he said. "Can you move?" The sound of Daniel's voice jarred Joshua back into reality. Both the green figure and the pink figure had vanished. "Yeah," he said, standing. He looked over at Muscle Shirt Guy. "What about him?"

"He'll be fine. Besides, we don't want to be around when this guy and his friend wakes up," Daniel said impatiently. "Come on, let's go." Joshua vaguely recalled his feet being stuck in the pavement. Had another Stand user done that to him? Deciding that he did not want to find out, Joshua quickly followed Daniel out the door.

Fluorescent lights shone upon the pale, featureless hallways. Joshua ran behind Daniel past unlabeled doorways, around corners, through intersections. Every hallway looked exactly the same, and Joshua quickly lost all sense of direction. Daniel, however, seemed completely confident in his path, never hesitating as he led the pair through the hallways. Turning a corner, Daniel finally came to a stop. He had led them to a dead end.

"Hey," Joshua panted, apprehension growing in his voice. "You do know the way out of here, right?"

"Of course," Daniel said, cracking his knuckles. " **[Sabaton]**!" At once, the pink figure appeared by Daniel's side. "I know you must be confused by all of this. The powers that you have witnessed tonight - the powers that you now possess - are known as Stands. They are the personification of your fighting spirit - your soul, made manifest." He gestured to the pink figure."This is my Stand, Sabaton."

" **EEEEEEAAAAHH!** " Sabaton let out a shrill, piercing screech as it leapt at the dead end. Sabaton's fists were a blur; the speed of its punches made it appear to have several arms. The wall crumbled beneath the flurry of blows. Daniel and Sabaton stepped over the remains of the destroyed wall into another hallway, and Sabaton screeched again as it attacked the opposite wall. A section of the wall collapsed under the force of Sabaton's punches, revealing the black gloom of night behind it as a cool breeze blew into the building.

As Daniel stepped outside the building, Sabaton seemed to withdraw back into his body. Daniel looked back at Joshua, who had not moved from the spot that had once been a dead end. "There's a place near here - my friend's house. We'll be safe there, but we've gotta go now," he said. Then he turned around, and began to run into the night.

Looking out at the gloom, Joshua suddenly realized that he had no idea what time it was. He had promised his parents he would be right home after the game. They were probably wondering what had happened to him; he could see his mother trying to call him, equal parts worried and furious. Ruffling through the pockets of his coat, Joshua found that both his phone and his wallet were missing.

 _What have I gotten myself into?_ Joshua thought. With a sigh, he started to jog after Daniel.

 **-To Be Continued- Awakened Power (Act 3)**

* * *

 **Stand User: Daniel Webster**

 **Stand Name: [Sabaton]**

 **Power: A**

 **Speed: A**

 **Range: B**

 **Durability: C**

 **Power: C**

 **Developmental Potential: C**

 **Short Range Teleportation: Sabaton has the ability to teleport approximately twenty meters in any direction, though it decreases in speed and power the further away it is from its user. This teleportation is instantaneous, and can be activated nearly instantaneously. When Sabaton teleports, its afterimage is visible for a fraction of a second before disappearing.**


	4. Awakened Power (Act 3)

After running for about ten minutes, Daniel came to a stop in front of a large two story house. Joshua panted as he caught up to Daniel. For someone who had been badly beaten up a few minutes ago, the guy could seriously move. As Joshua stopped next to Daniel, he looked around to try and figure out where they had gone. They were in a typical suburb, with near-identical red brick houses lining the streets. To his right, Joshua could see the road end in a cul-de-sac.

"Hey," Joshua said to Daniel, as the black-haired boy rang the doorbell. "Where are we?"

"A friend's house," Daniel responded. "He's a Stand user as well. We'll be safe here tonight."

"Safe from what?" Joshua asked. At once all the questions that had been boiling in his brain came bursting out. "Who were those people? Why were they fighting you? Why did they take me? Why did…" He trailed off, out of breath and overwhelmed by thoughts. "What's going on?"

"Relax," Daniel said, laying a hand on Joshua's shoulder. "We're in no immediate danger right now. Everything is going to be fine." He turned back to the door.

Daniel's words did little to reassure Joshua. The well-lit suburb suddenly seemed to be filled with a menacing darkness. Looking out at the shadows, Joshua couldn't help but imagine Stand users hiding in the dark, waiting for the right moment to leap out at them.

Daniel rocked back on his heels. "C'mon, answer your door," he said impatiently, ringing the doorbell. "I know you're not asleep." He continued to ring the doorbell until it was suddenly thrown open.

"Daniel?" Standing behind the doorframe was a short, slightly doughy kid wearing a white undershirt and checkerboard boxers. He looked to be about fourteen years old, and had thick, white-rimmed glasses and frizzy black hair. He blinked in surprise. "It's past midnight. What are you doing here?" He looked at Joshua, "Who's this?"

"I got some new information on the Cobalt Order," Daniel said. "Can we come inside?"

"Sure, but…" not waiting for the kid to finish, Daniel strode past him into the house. The kid turned to Joshua, but quickly averted his eyes. "Hi," the kid said sheepishly.

"Hey," Joshua said. He felt pretty sheepish himself. An awkward silence hung in the air between them.

Finally the kid broke the silence. "He probably went up to my room. Come on in." Joshua followed the kid through the house, into a room on the second story. The room was filled with geek paraphernalia. Its shelves were lined with figurines, and its walls were covered with posters from various video games and anime. A large computer sat on a desk in the corner of the room. Daniel was indeed already in the room; he had made himself comfortable, and was sprawled on the room's bed, fiddling with something shiny.

"Alright," the kid said, sitting down at the desk, "What did you do this time?"

Daniel snorted. "I didn't do anything. I was at the football game when some goons from the Cobalt Order attacked me. So I was giving them the beatdown with Sabaton, but then this guy," he pointed at Joshua, "shows up out of nowhere. The goons knock him out, grab him, and run off, but I managed to-" Daniel sat up suddenly. "Shit."

"What is it?" the kid said worriedly.

"I left my car back at their lair. Goddamnit, I'm gonna have to go back there to get it." Daniel shook his head. "Goddamnit. Anyway, I followed them to their lair, gave them the beatdown with the help of this guy, and we got out of there with this," he finished, holding up the shiny piece of metal he had been fiddling with. Joshua's eyes widened as he recognized the jagged piece of metal that he had seen in the operating room.

The kid's eyes widened as well. "Is that-?"

"Pretty sure it is. It matches the description, and I found on a table just next to him," Daniel pointed at Joshua again. "Tell him."

Joshua wasn't prepared to say anything. He hadn't understood a word of what either of them were saying. Who was this Cobalt Order, and what was the piece of metal? Why was Daniel looking at him like he should know the answer? "Uhh-"

Daniel cut him off. "Have you ever manifested your Stand before tonight? Have you _seen_ a Stand before tonight?"

"No," Joshua responded, still confused.

Daniel sat back on the bed with a satisfied expression. "There you go."

Tentatively, Joshua raised his hand. "Wait, what does my Stand have to do with that piece of metal?" Both Daniel and the kid stared at him, as if they had just noticed his presence in the room. "Also, what is the Cobalt Order," Joshua continued nervously, "and why did they kidnap me?"

The kid angrily turned to Daniel. "Did you explain anything to him before coming here?!" He exclaimed incredulously.

There was a pause, as Daniel turned his attention back to the piece of metal. "Actually, for your information, I explained to him what a Stand was," Daniel said. "So…" he trailed off.

"It's like...a manifestation of your soul? But why have I never heard of something like this before tonight?"

The kid gave Joshua a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry about him." He turned to Daniel again. "You didn't tell him anything! You just ran ahead without consideration for anyone else, like you always do!"

"Well, I'm sorry if I didn't explain to him everything single thing about the Cobalt Order," Daniel returned. "We were a little busy fighting their goons!"

The kid threw up his hands. "You're hopeless." He turned back to Joshua, who had been watching this argument unfold with a little concern. "Do you want to know why you've never heard of Stands before tonight?" Joshua nodded.

"Okay. So, sometimes when a person is born with exceptionally strong willpower, that willpower manifests as a Stand. Each Stand is unique to its user's soul, so Stands can have an endless variation of traits and abilities, but there are some rules that all Stands follow. First, Stands can only be seen by Stand users. To non-Stand users, Stands are completely invisible." The kid paused. "Unless the Stand is bound to a physical object, but then they just look like a normal thing. Anyway, because most people can't see Stands, and Stand users like to keep their abilities a secret, information about Stands is very hard to find. There are very few non-Stand users who even know about Stands as a concept, and most hold it as a supernatural myth like ghosts or vampires. Look for Stands on the internet, and you'll only find a few rumors and conspiracy theories, most of them untrue."

"One such rumor involves a golden weapon that can awaken the Stands of people who weren't born with a Stand. As the rumor goes, to unlock the Stand you stab the weapon into someone, wounding them fatally. If their soul is strong enough, their Stand awakens and their wound is healed. If it isn't…" The kid trailed off. Joshua gingerly touched his neck. The blood on it had almost dried. The kid started to speak again. "But according to rumors, the Cobalt Order is interested in acquiring this weapon - that weapon," he said, pointing to Daniel and the piece of metal in his hands. "That's what gave you a Stand."

Joshua nodded, even though he still didn't fully understand everything. "And what is the Cobalt Order?" "An organization of Stand users," the kid answered. "They allegedly have members all over the globe. Not a lot is known about them - they're very secretive - but rumors have connected them to the disappearance of other Stand users, as well as some high-profile political figures. Whatever their goals are, they can't be good."

Daniel began to speak. "Hiram and I first heard of the Cobalt Order about a year ago. Since that time, we've run into their members twice. Both times, they got away before we could get anything from them. But now, not only have we fought and defeated two of their members, we took the weapon from them." His voice grew with excitement. "We've made a lot of progress towards taking them out tonight."

"So you guys are fighting the Cobalt Order?" Joshua asked. "Hell yeah we are!" Daniel exclaimed. "Not like anyone else is going to do it. Plus, they're clearly bad guys, right? Just look at what they did tonight. They could've killed you! It's basically our moral duty to beat down these goons, or something like that."

"I guess so," Joshua said. "So, then," Daniel continued, "How about it?" "How about what?" Joshua asked.

Daniel sat up from the bed. "Helping us fight take down the Cobalt Order, of course! Our chances will be much better if we have your beast of a Stand on our side." "Plus," Hiram added, "it's not like you've really got a choice. You already helped Daniel steal from the Cobalt Order. You're as much of a target as he is."

"Why? It's not like they know who I am." Joshua said. "Right?" Hiram shook his head. "Stand users are drawn to one another. No one knows why, but it happens. Even if they don't know who you are, they'll eventually find you." "So you're with us, then?" Daniel asked.

It was hard for Joshua to take all of this in. In a single night his knowledge of what the world was had been completely flipped around. His biggest concern yesterday had been his upcoming science test; now, he was having to consider using some sort of psychic ability to fight a sinister global organization. The scope of what was happening threatened to shut him down.

But then, he thought back to earlier. Protecting Daniel with his Stand, trading blows with Power, defeating his opponent with a massive fireball - it should have been terrifying, but it was exhilarating. In that moment, Joshua had felt more powerful and in control than he ever had before.

Also, he realized, he probably wasn't the first person the Cobalt Order kidnapped like that, and he probably wouldn't be the last either. Whatever their schemes were, more people would definitely be put in harm's way if they were allowed to continue. Joshua knew he couldn't let that happen. And if Hiram was right, he would probably be better off working with two experienced Stand users than going off by himself.

"Yeah," Joshua said. "I'm with you."

* * *

Lucas Commodus, enforcer of the Cobalt Order's second branch and user of the Stand **[Power]** , had been in trouble before. He wasn't the type to make mistakes, mainly because his decisions relied on the assumption that nothing could get in his way, and his Stand's power meant he was usually correct. But still, sometimes he would mess up, and that meant he would be in trouble. A lot of trouble, usually - hell, before the Cobalt Order found him, he had been serving a lifetime in prison. Now that was a lot of trouble. Still, as he sat on his knees, the boss glowering down at him and Hugh, Lucas realized that he was probably in the worst trouble of his life.

"Okay, let me see if I understand," the boss said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I told you to gather more test subjects for the Fragment. Instead of finding people in isolated areas, where there would be no witnesses, you decided to go to a high school football game and look for test subjects there."

Hugh weakly raised his head. "We thought that since you said teenagers have a greater chance of awakening a Stand, we should-"

"I said that was a theory someone proposed!" The boss shouted. "I also said that there is no evidence of this theory being correct, and that we should stick to what we have always been doing! And anyway, teenagers exist in places with fewer witnesses than crowded social events!" Lucas and Hugh winced as the boss's harsh words bit into them.

The boss cleared his throat. "Anyway, you go to this football game, but then a Stand user spots you, and starts attacking you. So you start fighting him, but then another kid walks in on the fight, at which point you decide to capture him and make a getaway instead. Am I correct so far?" Lucas and Hugh both nervously nodded. "Then, rather than come back here like you were supposed to, you go out to some abandoned hospital where you proceed to use the Fragment - which you weren't supposed to have, by the way - on the kid you captured."

"But then, surprise! The Stand user from before, who you ran away from instead of killing, has followed you. He defeats both of you, takes both the Fragment and your test subject, and escapes. And now, you have no idea where either of them are." _I was about to beat him, but then that other brat had to go and get himself a tough-ass Stand_ , Lucas thought, but he kept that thought to himself. He was already in more than enough trouble without running his mouth. Lucas and Hugh each gave an ashamed nod. Hugh spoke up again. "We could probably find them, though. With Subdivisions' power. Then getting back the Fragment will be easy."

The boss seemed to consider this. "That's true. We may even be to able use this as an opportunity, eliminate two birds with a single stone…" Lucas couldn't believe what he was seeing. Were he and Hugh actually going to get away with this? The boss continued, "Plus, we now at least have confirmation that the Fragment actually works. That's not nothing." He stared at Lucas and Hugh. "Are you sure that you could identify the person who stole the Fragment?" Lucas and Hugh nodded vigorously. "And the other person, your test subject?" They kept nodding.

"Good," the boss said. "But then, I only need one of you for that. And someone has to be punished for disobeying orders." A grey figure began to materialize behind him. " **[Road to Nowhere]**!"

Before Lucas could react, the ground split open beneath his feet, and he fell into an infinite darkness.

 **Lucas Commodus - Retired!**

 **-To Be Continued- How to Train Your Stand**


	5. How to Train Your Stand

The rays of light from the mid-morning sun came through Joshua's windows and pried open his closed eyes. Blearily, Joshua sat up. Thoughts swam in his still half-asleep head, when suddenly he remembered the previous night. It seemed so fuzzy that for a moment he thought it had been a dream. Then his saw his shirt lying on the ground, the dried blood still faintly visible, and his memories crystallized.

 _Oh god..._ Joshua thought as the last night came back to him. Kidnapping, Stand power, the Cobalt Order, and then to top if off having to go home several hours after his curfew to a very angry mother. Unsurprisingly, the excuse he had used - he had gone out with friends and lost track of time - had not gone over too well. It had been a solid half hour of lecturing before he was allowed to go to bed. At least she hadn't noticed the dried blood on his shirt. Groaning, Joshua staggered out of bed towards the bathroom.

As he waited for the shower to warm up, Joshua stared at himself in the mirror. Despite everything he'd seen - everything he'd done - he still was having some trouble understanding exactly what he had been pulled into. Everything just seemed so outlandish, Joshua couldn't completely believe it was all real. _It's just so...bizarre_ , Joshua thought as he entered the shower.

Upon returning to his room, Joshua heard the text tone go off from his phone. He had been relieved when last night Daniel revealed that he had managed to recover Joshua's belongings, including his phone. However, that relief had quickly turned into fear when he saw the number of texts and missed calls sent by his mother.

His phone displayed a single message from an unknown number: "You holding up?" "Who is this?" Joshua texted back. "Daniel," came the single word reply.

Joshua might've wondered how Daniel had gotten his number, considering how Joshua had never given it to him, but another text came before he could. "Hiram wants us to meet up, help you practice using your Stand. You in?" "Can't," Joshua returned. "Grounded for a month." "No problem," Daniel texted. "We'll come to you. Be there in about a half hour. Bye."

Joshua looked up from his phone. His father was away on a business trip all weekend, and he had heard his mother leave to go grocery shopping while he was in the shower. He had the house to himself, at least for a couple hours or so. While having other people over while he was grounded probably wasn't allowed, Joshua figured that it wouldn't matter if no one found out. Also, Joshua wasn't sure that he could dissuade Daniel from coming over anyway.

Joshua didn't really know what to make of Daniel and Hiram. He realized that, apart from the fact that they were Stand users, he knew nothing about them. He met them less than 24 hours ago. That said, they seemed like kind people, and Daniel had risked his life to save him, so that had to count for something. Despite his concerns, Joshua was fairly sure that he could trust them.

And so, about twenty minutes later, Joshua greeted Daniel and Hiram at his front door. Hiram wore a green t-shirt with a graphic of a fierce-looking serpent and the words "Loch Ness Monster" emblazoned on it. Daniel was wearing the same black tracksuit he wore the night before.

"Thanks for inviting us," said Daniel, walking past Joshua into the house. Hiram looked up at Joshua. "Are you doing alright? I know all of this," he gestured with his hand, "can be a little overwhelming at first." "Yeah," said Joshua, partly to Hiram and partly to himself. "'I'm fine."

"That's good to hear," Hiram said. "We should probably go to your backyard. I don't think you want to wreck your house in our practicing." Joshua agreed, and led Hiram through the house. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Daniel was already waiting for them in the backyard, Sabaton already present by his side.

"Okay," Daniel said, cracking his knuckles. "If you want to be able to fight the Cobalt Order, you need to learn how to fight with your Stand. Now, you did a pretty good job against that Power guy, but it's pretty rare that you'll encounter Stands that are as straightforward as his." Sabaton raised its fists in a fighting stance. "Stand battles require quick thinking and flexibility, but the most important thing to know is how to effectively use your Stand's strengths. So, today we're gonna teach you how to do that."

Joshua looked over at Hiram. Next to Hiram, a large, blocky figure had appeared. The figure was light gray, and appeared to be made out of bricks. Its long arms and legs ended in square stumps. Its rectangular eyes had a light blue glow, and gray brick horns crowned the top of its square head. Joshua guessed that this figure must be Hiram's Stand.

Daniel and Hiram seemed to be looking at Joshua expectantly. Suddenly, Joshua realized that he didn't quite know how to bring his Stand out. He had managed to summon it last night, but that had been pure instinct; there hadn't been any conscious thought to his action.

As if he had read Joshua's mind, Hiram suddenly said, "Don't be nervous. Your Stand is a part of you now. Letting it out should come instinctively, without effort, like…" he trailed off, his hands fidgeting as he searched for a metaphor. "Like taking a piss. Your body already knows how to do it, so relax and let it happen."

 _That's a strange way to put it_ , Joshua thought, and then he blinked. Where there had once been nothing but empty air, a large green scaly humanoid figure now stood before him. Hiram's metaphor may have been a strange one, but it must have triggered something. Joshua's Stand had appeared.

Daniel gave a short clap. "All right. Now, let's begin." Suddenly, the left side of Joshua's head exploded with pain. In an instant, Sabaton had moved from Daniel's side to Joshua's, and had slammed its fist into Joshua's skull.

Joshua collapsed onto the ground, clutching his head. Through his mind's eye, he saw his Stand slash at Sabaton - but Sabaton was suddenly three feet to the left of where it had been, and the Stand's claws sliced through the air.

"Come on, Daniel," Hiram said. "Go easy on him. He just got his Stand yesterday."

"I am!" Daniel protested. "If I were a real enemy Stand user, he would already have been knocked unconscious. Learning to deal with sneak attacks is part of the lesson!"

Shakily, Joshua got to his feet. Daniel had turned to face Hiram, and had his back to Joshua and his Stand. The Stand tensed, and lunged towards the tracksuit wearing boy, claws outstretched. Before it could reach Daniel, however, Sabaton suddenly appeared in front of it, and easily rammed a fist into its gut. Joshua stumbled backwards, the wind knocked out of him.

"Like that," said Daniel, still with his back to Joshua. Sabaton appeared at his side, and he turned again to face Joshua. "Your Stand is an extension of yourself, but it's also a lot faster and stronger than you. Your Stand's movements shouldn't be reliant on your reaction time. You have to make it instinct."

Hiram shook his head. "Stop messing around, Daniel. This isn't accomplishing anything." "Get off my back," Daniel responded."I'm teaching him valuable lessons about Stand fights. Now," he said, gesturing towards Joshua, "Come at me again." Sabaton copied his gesture.

Joshua swallowed. His head was still pounding, and he was still short of breath from Sabaton's punch. More than anything, he was frustrated. Daniel and Sabaton seemed to be dancing circles around him. He began to think. _What if I…_

Joshua's Stand lunged forward again, and again Sabaton teleported forward to meet it. This time, however, the dragonic Stand did not raise a claw. Instead, the instant Sabaton appeared before it, ready to counterpunch, it opened its mouth and let out a wide cone of flame. Sabaton vanished before the fire, and Daniel had to step back as well to avoid getting singed. As Joshua Stand continued to breathe fire, Sabaton reappeared at its side, a fist ready to punch.

Just as Joshua figured it would.

Faster than either Stand user could react, Joshua's Stand turned, caught Sabaton's fist with one arm, and raked its claws against the pink Stand's chest with the other. Sabaton vanished again and reappeared at the side of Daniel, who was clutching his chest.

"Are you okay?" Joshua asked, suddenly worried that he had seriously hurt his new friend. "Not bad," Daniel answer, smiling darkly. "That was a good trick you pulled, but you're gonna have to better if you want to do well in a real fight." Sabaton clenched its fists, seemingly about to begin another attack. "I'm going to stop pulling my punches now, so get ready-"

"Time out!" Hiram ran between the two other boys, his hands making a T-shape. He looked pointedly towards Daniel. "I know this is fun for you, but there are more important things we need to be doing. I wanted to gauge his Stand's power, but I can't do that if you're dodging every attack."

Daniel raised his hands in resignation, as Sabaton vanished into his body with a shimmer. "Alright. Do what you want." He stepped back, and Hiram and his Stand took Daniel's place opposite Joshua. "Okay, Joshua," Hiram said, as his Stand lumbered slowly in front of him. "I want you to attack my Stand. I'm not going to counter or anything, so just hit me with everything you've got." He smiled. "Don't worry. Whatever you can dish out, **[Off the Wall]** can take."

Joshua's Stand approached Hiram and Off the Wall somewhat hesitantly; Hiram didn't like the type of person to trick Joshua like that, but he kept his guard nonetheless. As his Stand got closer, a silver sheen appeared over Off the Wall's body. A similar sheen appeared over Hiram. Joshua's Stand stopped for a second, as if considering this new development, and then-

" **GRA-DADADADADADA**!" The Stand let loose a mad flurry of slashes onto Off the Wall's sturdy body. The blows seemed to bounce off the blocky Stand, leaving ripples in the silver sheen that reverberated across its body. " **GRA-DA**!" a large fireball flew out of the green Stand's mouth, landing squarely on the center of Off the Wall. It extinguished upon contact, not even leaving a scorch mark. Hiram had been correct: Off the Wall seemed to be unaffected by the onslaught.

This time, it was Daniel who paused the fight. "That's enough! Stop!" Joshua's Stand backed away as Off the Wall disappeared and the silver sheen faded from Hiram's body. Joshua hadn't noticed before, but Hiram suddenly looked like he had run several marathons in a row. He was slick with sweat, panting heavily, and seemed like he could fall over at any moment. Daniel ran up to Hiram, and Hiram leaned against him, clearly exhausted.

"What happened?" asked Joshua, confused. As far as he could tell, he had done no damage to Off the Wall or Hiram. "Off the Wall can create an impenetrable shield around itself," Daniel explained, "but the shield drains Hiram's energy to sustain itself. It's a very useful ability, but using it too long could kill him."

Hiram looked up. "He's strong," he said between heavy breaths. "That's good." "Shh. Save your energy. Rest now," Daniel said, gently laying Hiram on the ground. He turned back to Joshua.

"By the way," Daniel said, "have you chosen a name for your Stand yet?" Come to think of it, Joshua hadn't. But, as he looked at his Stand's dragonic features, a name came to him so easily he could swear the Stand had always had it.

" **[Imagine Dragons]** ," he said simply. Daniel grinned. "Joshua and Imagine Dragons. Welcome to the team."

 **-To Be Continued- What's in Your Soul (Act 1)**

* * *

 **Stand User: Hiram McRodes**

 **Stand Name: [Off the Wall]**

 **Power: D**

 **Speed: C**

 **Range: D**

 **Durability: A**

 **Precision: D**

 **Developmental Potential: C**

 **Impenetrable Barrier: Off the Wall can project an energy barrier over objects and people, including itself and its user, which can negate any and all attacks and cannot be penetrated. However, the barrier drains the user's lifeforce, so sustained use will kill them.**


	6. What's in Your Soul (Act 1)

As far as seedy bars in seedier neighborhoods went, Bar/None was actually comparatively nice. Not _good_ ; cigarette smoke infested every corner of the room with its smell and stained the walls, the pool table had half its cover torn off and two of its balls were missing, and the floor was always sticky. But the booze was cheap, and the bartender kept the peace, and if you tipped him well enough he'd always top off your glass, so Stan kept coming back to the place. It was a good place to sit back, down a few drinks, and wait for prospective clients to come to him.

One such prospective client entered the bar at that very moment. Stan knew from the instant the client walked in that they were looking for him. This was mainly because the client was bright red, had lithe, inhuman proportions, and no one in the bar apart from Stan seemed to notice them. On the contrary, the bartender muttered "Is the damn door broken again?" and walked over to the entrance to investigate, passing by the client without so much as a second glance.

Stan highly doubted a Stand would enter a bar for the purpose of getting drunk.

Stan took a long drink from his mug, before laying a few bills on top of the bar and exiting out the back. The red Stand followed Stan out. The night was dark, the moon and stars covered by a cloud layer, but the harsh street lights illuminated the empty lot where Stan and the red Stand now stood.

The red Stand reached into a red messenger bag that it seemed to carry. Looking closer Stan realized the messenger bag was actually part of the Stand, its shoulder strap seamlessly fused to the Stand's shoulder. It pulled out a tan envelope, then reached in again and pulled out a briefcase.

"You know," said Stan. "I've received plenty of missions before, but I have never had someone send their Stand in to deliver it. Are you one of those talking ones?"

The red Stand handed him the envelope, before saying in a clipped, eloquent accent, "Two targets. Both Stand users. Highly dangerous. Get them dead or alive. The envelope contains more details on the -" suddenly its accent changed, becoming a flawless mimic of Stan's voice, "- missions."

Of course they were both Stand users. Why wouldn't they be? If you wanted regular enemies taken out, you would hire a regular bounty hunter or hitman. When you want enemy Stand users taken out, that's when you hire Stan. As he opened the envelope, he noticed that both of the targets were teenagers. Not that that mattered; Stan knew from experience that child Stand users could be just as dangerous as adult Stand users, if not more so.

He cleared his throat. "There is, of course, the issue of compensation." On cue, the Stand opened its briefcase, revealing several large stacks of crisp bills. It was like something out of a movie, that much money all together in one place. It even seemed to shine a little. Stan cleared his throat again. "Now, I do require an advance payment as well."

The Stand snapped the case shut. "This is the advance," it said, its voice having gone back to the flawlessly clipped accent. It then handed the briefcase to Stan. "The actual payment will be twice as much. Do you accept?"

Stan felt the briefcase in his hands. It was considerably heavy. He cleared his throat one more time. "Give me a few days," he said. "I'll see what I can do."

* * *

Joshua was walking home from school, his gait a bit less active than usual. Today had been a hard day for him. He had gotten his exam results back, and while he didn't fail, his score was not what his mother would be expecting. He could see a lecture about responsibility and an increase of closely monitored study time in his future. He didn't mean to slack off on the test, but…

Well, it's difficult to concentrate on chemistry once you've become embroiled in a fight against a secret global organization of people with crazy psychic abilities, isn't it?

It had been about a week since Joshua had received his Stand. Over the week, he had continued to train with Daniel and Hiram. While he hadn't landed a blow on Daniel or Sabaton since their initial fight, he was getting better at defending against the teleporting Stand's attacks. Just as Hiram had said, Joshua had gotten much better at summoning and using Imagine Dragons. It felt almost automatic to him at this point.

Joshua was snapped out of his recollections when he heard a familiar voice greeting him. Turning back, he saw Daniel run up to his side with a large grin. He was still wearing the same black and gold tracksuit he always wore; Joshua had become convinced that his closet contained nothing but multiple copies of that tracksuit. "Hey Joshua! How's it going? Did you get the result of that chem test back?" Joshua only nodded, knowing by now that Daniel was going to continue to talk until he had nothing left to say.

Sure enough, "Yeah, that test was a real bitch. I did pretty well though, if I do say so myself." Daniel stepped in front of Joshua, turned around, and, still walking backwards, held up the exam for Joshua to see. Joshua blinked. The exam was a mess of red marks: Daniel had done worse than Joshua.

"Yeah, I know," Daniel said as he crumpled up the exam and stuffed it in his pocket. "Don't worry about me. I always just cram my butt off in the last two weeks of the quarter, and then all my grades just kind of even out."

"Has there been anything new about the Cobalt Order?" Joshua said, wanting to change the subject. There had been no sign of the Order over the week. The building that Joshua had been taken, which had turned out to be a foreclosed hospital, had been completely empty when Daniel went to investigate it.

Daniel scratched his head. "Nope. It's strange, because you'd think that they'd come out full force now that we've stolen their weapon. Still, Hiram says we should lay low and wait for them to come to us." Suddenly, he stopped. Joshua had to quickly stop as well to avoid crashing into him. "Speaking of," Daniel said, looking toward the small woods that stood between the sidewalk and the suburbs. "Stop watching us and come on out!" he shouted to the trees. "There's no point in hiding any longer!"

Joshua didn't know how such a large man could conceal himself so effectively. The man wore black and green combat fatigues, but its sleeves were cut off, exposing the man's heavily muscled arms. Golden armbands glinted in the afternoon light. The man's hair was short and curly, and his beard was black and thick. His eyes were dark, and his face was expressionless.

"You're observant," the man said. "Thanks," Daniel replied, "I have experience dealing with goons like you."

At this, the bronze-skinned man smiled, any and all darkness vanishing from his face. "Well said, boy! To give such a harsh reply, you must have great courage! I expect your Stand is no pushover either, hmm?" He had an accent, though Joshua couldn't quite place where it was from.

The man knew about Stands. More importantly, the man knew Joshua and Daniel were Stand users. Joshua had a sinking feeling that this encounter wasn't going to end well. Daniel appeared to think so as well, as Sabaton manifested itself beside him.

"Ah, getting right to it, then? I admire your directness," the man said. "Very well! But, before we begin, out of courtesy for you, let me tell you some things about myself."

"My name is Constantine Istanbul, though just Stan is fine. I am a Stand hunter, and I have received a particularly lucrative offer to track down and defeat the two of you. Now, the terms of the offer say I can turn you in dead or alive; however, I do not like to have unnecessary blood on my hands, and as such, I will do my best to not kill you during our fight. That said, if you would be so kind as to surrender now, I believe it would make all of our lives easier."

As if in response, Sabaton's hands clenched into fists. "Daniel," Joshua said, bringing out Imagine Dragons, "Let's take this guy out together, right?" "Of course," Daniel said. "Quickly and easily. This goon doesn't stand a chance against us!"

Stan sighed, smiling like a parent whose child, in an act of defiance, had done something foolish but ultimately harmless. "Fair enough. I don't mind doing things the hard way either." The dark glint returned to his eyes. "Now, come at me with full strength! **[Birdhouse in Your Soul]**!"

 **-To Be Continued- What's in Your Soul (Act 2)**


	7. What's in Your Soul (Act 2)

" **[Birdhouse in Your Soul]**!" And with those words, Constantine's Stand materialized before them.

Birdhouse in Your Soul was a large, shaggy-looking Stand. Its body was a deep, dark purple, so dark it almost seemed black. On its back appeared to be a large furry cloak. Its face was covered by a black mask with intricate markings scratched into its surface. Two horns - no, they were more akin to antlers - jutted out from the sides of its head. Its hands were thick and meaty, and its fingers were stubs with needle-like claws poking out of them. It was humanoid, but there about something feral about it, making it seem like a wild animal.

Daniel wasted no time once the Stand appeared. Sabaton leapt towards the Stand hunter in a pink blur, screeching at the top of its lungs. Imagine Dragons followed closely behind, arms outstretched and claws gleaming.

From behind its mask, the purple Stand let out a deep, savage roar as Sabaton and Imagine Dragons flew towards it. With one clawed hand, Birdhouse in Your Soul swiped at Sabaton, only for Sabaton to vanish and reappear behind it. With Sabaton primed to attack from behind, and Imagine Dragons still charging from the front, it seemed like Birdhouse in Your Soul was trapped, about to be on the receiving end of two barrages of attacks simultaneously.

And then Birdhouse in Your Soul's claws shot out of its hand.

Five shiny needles, each attached to the ends of the Stand's fingers by a thin cord, flew with surprising speed before embedding themselves between the scales of Imagine Dragons. With a flick of its wrist, Birdhouse in Your Soul swung the dragonic Stand around. Sabaton teleported away, barely avoiding having Imagine Dragons smash into it. Joshua felt the odd sensation of motion while immobile, as if he had just gotten off of a roller coaster. Suddenly, the needles retracted, and with roar of exertion, Birdhouse in Your Soul threw Imagine Dragons at Daniel and Joshua.

With great effort, Imagine Dragons managed to right itself and land before it could crash into Joshua and Daniel. Joshua looked at Daniel and his Stand. Neither had taken much damage beyond a few small puncture wounds in the chest, but they hadn't been able to land a hit on Birdhouse in Your Soul either. It had countered their initial attacks, and to make matters worse, it seemed like it wasn't even particularly trying in the process. Daniel's plan to end this encounter 'quickly and easily' had been a wash.

Stan sighed again, shaking his head. "Rule number one for fighting enemy Stands: don't recklessly attack when you don't even know what your opponent's powers are." The needles retracted into Birdhouse in Your Soul's fingers. "It's a shame. Your files made you seem like powerful users, but I guess you couldn't have that much experience."

"Files?" Daniel asked, still on guard. He gave the slightest tilt of his head toward Joshua, and Joshua understood. Birdhouse in Your Soul was another enemy that would be difficult to get close to. Careful to not draw any attention to itself, Imagine Dragons began to charge up a fireball inside its mouth. "What files?"

"The files my client gave me, of course. I'd be pretty stupid if I didn't follow my own rule about fighting enemy Stands, after all." "You know what our Stands' powers are, then," Daniel said, trying to keep Stan talking for as long as possible. Imagine Dragons continued to charge the fireball; Joshua wanted this fireball to be large and powerful, hopefully enough so that it would take out the Stand hunter and his Stand in one hit.

"It's all there in the file. Two Stand users, one with a Stand that can teleport, the other with a lizard-like Stand-" Stan suddenly looked to Joshua and Imagine Dragons, grinning with a mad gleam in his eyes, "that can breathe fire!"

It happened in an instant. Imagine Dragons opened its mouth, about to launch the fireball. At the same time, Birdhouse in Your Soul pointed at Imagine Dragons, and two of its claws shot out of its hands. With incredible accuracy, the needles flew into Imagine Dragons' mouth. Joshua gagged as he felt the needles lodge themselves in the back of its throat. The unexpected attack had caught him completely off-guard, causing him to have a momentary lapse of concentration, and that was all it took. Imagine Dragons lost control of the fireball, and it exploded in its face. Thankfully, the dragonic Stand seemed flameproof, but the force of the explosion still knocked it (and Joshua) on the ground.

The needles retracted back into Birdhouse in Your Soul's hand. "You actually thought you could get away with that? Nice try, but you'll have to be a little better if you expect me to fall for such basic trick." Stan's voice was cocky as ever, though his expression was pained. He stuck his fingers in his mouth and briefly sucked. "Credit where it's due though. That fire you've got is pretty nasty."

"You okay, Joshua?" Daniel asked. Joshua sat up, shook his head, and spat out a clump of blood. His head was still ringing. "I guess. Do have any ideas on how we can take this guy out?" Daniel shrugged as Imagine Dragons gathered itself next to Sabaton. "Nothing yet. One of us tries to keep him occupied so the other can rush in and land some hits. Just don't let those claws hit you." "Easier said than done," Joshua returned, and the two Stands rushed forward.

And it was easier said than done. The battle may have been two Stands against one, but Birdhouse in Your Soul had ten claws, and it wielded them all with an impressive amount of skill. Wherever Sabaton and Imagine Dragons went, it seemed like a needle was waiting for them, ready to whip them or stab them or poke them in a sensitive area. Even Sabaton, which could easily avoid attacks with its quick teleportation, couldn't dodge the maelstrom of whiplike needles. The attacks weren't very powerful, but they were annoying and painful, and they prevented the Stands from reaching Birdhouse in Your Soul.

The worst part was, it didn't even seem like Stan had to exert himself to keep the Stands away. On the contrary, the Stand hunter seemed to be enjoying himself. He kept taunting Joshua and Daniel, calling out things like, "Ouch! Almost got me with that one," and "Not bad! Move faster next time, and you might be able to hit me!" grinning all the while. "This guy's really starting to get on my nerves," Joshua muttered to Daniel, grimacing as another needle dug into the small bit of flesh between Imagine Dragons' scales. "Yeah," Daniel replied, "I just want to…" Sabaton, which had until that moment been flickering around Birdhouse in Your Soul, suddenly teleported right in front of Stan. "Hah! Got you now!" Daniel exclaimed.

Stan didn't even flinch. Instead, Birdhouse in Your Soul whipped around, and with one hand, shot its claws into Sabaton's back. The needles then retracted, dragging Sabaton with them as its punch whizzed through empty air. The pink Stand was pulled towards Birdhouse in Your Soul, whose other hand clenched into a fist, reared back, and delivered a powerful uppercut which sent Sabaton flying through the air. Then, in a single swift motion, the same hand shot its claws out, whirling them around to slap Imagine Dragons, which had attempted to take advantage of the move to attack Birdhouse in Your Soul. The two Stands landed sprawled in a heap, and their owners reeled from the attacks.

"Can't teleport while something's attached to me," Daniel croaked, "That's something I just learned."

Joshua groaned in pain. "We can't go on like this, Daniel. This guy's gotta have some weak point." "Yeah," Daniel agreed. Then, as their Stands recovered, a sly smile formed on his face. "I've got an idea. Just wait for my signal, okay?" "Okay," Joshua said, a little apprehensive. Birdhouse in Your Soul had to have some weak points, but so far nothing they had tried had worked. "Great," Daniel said, and Sabaton charged forward once more.

Stan, who had been feigning a yawn, regarded the oncoming Stand with a shake of his head. "This again? Honestly, it's getting a little sad how you refuse to learn from your mistakes." Ten claws shot out of Birdhouse in Your Soul's hands, all heading straight for Sabaton. Joshua expected Sabaton to teleport away like it always did.

But Sabaton didn't teleport. Instead, it let the needles plunge into its chest, then grabbed the cords attaching the needles to Birdhouse in Your Soul's fingers, and dug its heels into the ground. "I haven't refused to learn anything!" Daniel shouted. "Joshua! Now!"

Joshua and Stan both instantly realized what Daniel was doing. Stan tried to retract the needles, but Sabaton held tight, and just like that it was too late. Imagine Dragons rushed forward and slashed its claws across the purple Stand's chest. " **GRA-DA**!"

Stan grunted in pain as Imagine Dragons continued to slash Birdhouse in Your Soul. Finally, Sabaton lost its grip on the cords, and the Stands retreated as the needles once again retracted into its fingers.

Both Stan and Birdhouse in Your Soul were bent over in pain. "How about that!" Daniel said. "The goon finally shows some weakness. Let's keep it up, Joshua!" Joshua nodded, and Sabaton and Imagine Dragons rushed forward once more. "Fools!" Stan shouted. Birdhouse in Your Soul looked up, and suddenly everything stopped.

A chill had come over Joshua, and all of a sudden he couldn't move his body. He couldn't move Imagine Dragons either. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Daniel and Sabaton were frozen as well. For a brief moment, he thought back to the night in the alley - but no, his feet had been stuck in the pavement then, and he wasn't stuck in anything now. It had to be something Stan and his Stand were doing.

Stan panted heavily. He was no longer smiling, and the glint in his eyes was gone. In front of him, Birdhouse in Your Soul stood. Before, there had been nothing but darkness behind the mask that the Stand seemed to wear, but now two bright blue eyes were shining through that darkness. Joshua couldn't stop staring at those eyes. Their gleam seemed to pierce through the depths of his soul.

"Rule number one of fighting enemy Stands: don't rush in to attack it while you don't know what it's capable of. The truth is, the two of you lost the moment you chose to engage me." Stan shook his head. "You weren't half bad opponents either, but I'm done giving you a sporting chance. It's time for me to do my job."

 **-To Be Continued- What's in Your Soul (Act 3)**

* * *

 **Stand User: Constantine Istanbul**

 **Stand Name: [Birdhouse in Your Soul]**

 **Power: B**

 **Speed: A**

 **Range: B**

 **Durability: C**

 **Precision: C**

 **Developmental Potential: C**

 **Harpoon Claws: Birdhouse in Your Soul has sharp, needle-like claws on the ends of its fingers to slash and stab its opponents. It can also launch its claws like harpoons to pierce enemies or objects from afar. These claws do not have to immediately retract, and in fact can stay out to be used like spiked whips.**

 **Fear Gaze: Birdhouse in Your Soul emits an intense aura of fear from its eyes that can paralyze anyone who looks into them. This fear gaze can even affect Stands. This gaze is less effective on people with stronger wills. On the other hand, it can be so effective against weak-willed people that it can cause them to faint from fear.**


	8. What's in Your Soul (Act 3)

Joshua couldn't believe it. Just when they had started to turn the fight around, he and Daniel had been incapacitated by this strange new ability of Birdhouse in Your Soul. Joshua tried to move his body, open his mouth, even blink - anything. No good. He was completely frozen in place. He couldn't move Imagine Dragons either. The whole time, Birdhouse in Your Soul's eyes continued to emit a bright glow. _What's going on? What did he just do?_ Joshua wanted to scream, but he couldn't. He was completely helpless.

"The two of you are probably thinking "What's going on? What did he just do?" right now. Aren't you?" Now that Joshua and Daniel were powerless, Stan didn't seem to be in any hurry to finish them off. "A good Stand user doesn't reveal the secrets of his powers to his opponents, but then you will cease to be my opponents very soon, so I think it's safe to let you understand what just happened."

"To put it plainly, what you are experiencing now is Birdhouse in Your Soul's true power - its fear gaze."

 _Fear gaze?_ Joshua would've said if he had been able to move his mouth.

"The two of you are probably thinking, "Fear gaze?" right now. That's right, its fear gaze. Just by looking at you, Birdhouse in Your Soul can cause all of your muscles to lock up in fear. Its effects are a bit like sleep paralysis, only fortunately for you this doesn't cause any hallucinations. However, it does affect the part of you that controls your Stand, so it gets paralyzed right alongside you!" Stan was definitely enjoying himself now. The Stand hunter pointed emphatically at his opponents, grinning, all while his Stand continued to stare at them with its piercing blue gaze. Joshua wanted to knock that grin off his face, but he couldn't even so much at frown at him. Increasingly desperate, he continued to try to move his body or Stand. His head was beginning to pound.

Stan stopped smiling. "The two of you are probably still trying to move. Don't bother. Human or Stand - nobody has ever escaped Birdhouse in Your Soul's fear gaze." Birdhouse in Your Soul began to walk towards them. "I'm afraid the time has come to wrap things up. I'll try to knock you out as quickly and painlessly as possible."

And Birdhouse in Your Soul lunged.

* * *

Around the same time, unseen by either side, two figures stood in the forest watching the conflict. One of the figures was human - a man with an extremely thin face, marked by a sharp goatee. He wore a very elegant, if completely out of place, purple and white suit, and a black beret. A blue emblem was pinned to the beret. In his right hand, he appeared to hold a submachine gun.

The other figure was very clearly not human. It was bright green, translucent, and had very few defining features other than the top of its head, which was very spiky. Its body seemed to slightly quiver as a light breeze blew through the trees.

The man pointed his gun at the Stand users. Not even looking at him, the thing raised a green arm in front of him. "Not yet, Hugh." Its voice was garbled and muffled, like someone speaking underwater. "We must wait for a better chance."

The man - Hugh Chavez - did not lower his gun. "Two of them are frozen, and the third is distracted. We'll hardly find a better time than this, right?"

"You forget who that third is - even the boss would have trouble taking him down. As things are, you'll only get one shot, and then you'll be taken down. Besides, being frozen doesn't mean we can count those two out yet." Hugh had to raise a sharp eyebrow at that. "I know you are eager to redeem yourself, Hugh, but you must have patience. A better chance will come, I am sure of it. All we need to do is wait." Hugh sighed. He didn't like it, but it was true. He needed to have more patience - it was his impatience that had gotten him in this situation where he needed to redeem himself, after all. He couldn't afford to mess up again. If he did...he shuddered as he remembered how Lucas' screams had faded into nothingness.

So he waited. And he watched as Istanbul's Stand charged at the two boys.

But he did not lower his gun.

* * *

Time seemed to slow down for Joshua as Birdhouse in Your Soul flew towards him. _Damn! We were so close too!_ Despite all his efforts, neither he nor Imagine Dragons had moved an inch. As long as that Stand eyes remained fixated upon him, Joshua would be immobile, powerless, and completely open to attack - in other words, there was nothing he could to stop Birdhouse in Your Soul from beating him and Daniel into unconsciousness. His head was really pounding now. _Is this how it's going to end?_

 _No. No! I won't let it!_

"I won't let you!" Joshua shouted.

" **GRAAAAAAAAAAAAA**!" Imagine Dragons roared, unleashing a shockwave that interrupted Birdhouse in Your Soul's motion. Stan stumbled back, bracing himself against the sudden wind. "What the-?!" he sputtered. "Impossible! How can you move while Birdhouse in Your Soul's fear gaze is still active?!"

Joshua didn't completely understand either, but he didn't need to. The pounding in his head had disappeared, and his mind was clear. He knew exactly what had just happened. "My Stand has another ability - an indomitable will."

"Indomitable what?! Indomitable nothing!" Stan howled. "Your file didn't mention anything about this!" "That makes sense," Joshua said, flexing his hand. "I didn't know about it either until just now." He looked over to Daniel. The boy and his Stand were still frozen solid, but there was now a triumphant glint in his eyes.

Stan, in contrast, looked positively furious. "So you're going to be difficult like that, then? Fine, I'll have to take you out the hard way!" " **[Imagine Dragons]**!" Joshua shouted, as the scaly Stand opened its mouth. "Trying the fireball trick again?!" Stan yelled, "You just don't know when to quit, do you!" Three of Birdhouse of Your Soul's claws shot towards Imagine Dragons' head, clearly trying to gag it again. However, this time Joshua was ready. Just as the needles entered its mouth, Imagine Dragons bit down, severing their tendons with its sharp teeth.

Stan gave a sudden cry of pain, gripping his now bloody hand. "Three!" Joshua shouted, as Imagine Dragons rushed forward once more. "Don't think you've won yet!" Stan yelled, as Birdhouse in Your Soul shot more of its claws at the charging Stand. The needles flew into Imagine Dragons, which grabbed their connecting tendons with one hand and slashed through them with the other. "Eight!" With the needles still embedded in its chest, Imagine Dragons flew close to Birdhouse in Your Soul, grabbed its hand, and ripped the final two claws out of its fingers. "And that makes ten!" " **GRA-DA**!" Imagine Dragons smashed its fist into Birdhouse in Your Soul, sending it and its user flying backward. Off to the side, Joshua saw Daniel shakily collapse on the ground.

"Hey," Joshua said, moving towards the Stan's prone body. "What did you say the first rule of fighting Stands was again? Something about knowing your opponent's abilities before charging in, right? Well…" he stopped, standing over the Stand hunter with Imagine Dragons at his side. "Your Stand's abilities are its claws and fear gaze. I'm immune to the fear gaze, and all its claws have been torn off. So, in other words…" Imagine Dragons launched itself at Stan. "I know there's nothing you can do to stop me!"

" **GRA-DADADADADADADADADA**!" Imagine Dragons' arms were a blur as its claws slashed across Stan's body. " **GRA-DA**!" The Stand hunter was thrown against a tree, where he collapsed. Birdhouse in Your Soul had disappeared.

 _Whew_...Joshua gave himself a moment to relax. This opponent had been trickier than Power's user, and it had been a hard-fought victory, but the fight was over. He started to walk over to Daniel, who was slowly getting to his feet. It seemed like being frozen for so long had thrown him off-balance.

Suddenly, a burst of gunfire rang through the trees.

 **-To Be Continued- What's in Your Soul (Act 4)**

* * *

 **Stand User: Joshua Johannson**

 **Stand Name: [Imagine Dragons]**

 **Power: A**

 **Speed: B**

 **Range: C**

 **Durability: A**

 **Precision: B**

 **Developmental Potential: B**

 **Dragonic Features: Imagine Dragons has several dragon-like features and abilities that enhance its offense and defense, including razor sharp claws and a body covered in durable scales. It also has wings, although it cannot fly very well. In addition, Imagine Dragons can breath fire in several forms, such as a fireball or a cone of fire.**

 **Indomitable Will: Imagine Dragons' willpower is is so great that both it and its user can easily resist any mental or psychological attacks. This includes memory loss, hypnosis, mental control, and psychological shock. Imagine Dragons is not immune to these attacks, and can be affected by them if taken by surprise, but can recover and dispel the effects easily.**


	9. What's in Your Soul (Act 4)

Thankfully, Imagine Dragons was able to react in time to the gunfire. The green Stand appeared over Joshua, shielding him. Bursts of pain shot through Joshua's back as the bullets bounced off of his Stand's scaly body, but other than the bruises that would inevitably develop, he was okay.

Daniel wasn't so lucky. Whether it was because he was still woozy from his prolonged paralysis, or just simply caught off guard, neither he nor Sabaton were able to react in time. None of the bullets hit Daniel himself, but three struck Sabaton in its back, and so he collapsed.

After a few agonizingly long seconds, the sound of gunfire faded away, and Joshua was able to take stock of what had happened. The stream of bullets had punctured and fragmented the trees around him. Off to his side, Daniel lay motionless. He heard a sharp, reedy voice from behind him say, "Looks like I missed one. Two out of three isn't bad though, right?" Whirling around, he saw a thin man in a garish purple tuxedo emerge from the forest. In his right hand, he carried a submachine gun - no, that wasn't right. His right hand was a submachine gun, its cold metal seemingly melted into his wrist. He pointed the gun at Joshua. "I think I can handle one Stand user by myself. It's not like you can 'indomitable will' your way out of bullets, right?"

" **GRAAAA**!" Imagine Dragons leapt forward at the man. In return, the man pointed the gun at the green Stand. " **[Landslide]**!" Imagine Dragons tensed, expecting to be battered with bullets again, but the gun did not fire. Instead, what appeared to be a flesh colored snake leapt out from his wrist toward Imagine Dragons. Just as it made contact, Imagine Dragons suddenly found itself being pulled to the left, colliding with a nearby tree. It tried to launch itself at the man again, but found itself unable to move. _What did he do?_ Joshua thought, and then he saw: Imagine Dragons' torso had been fused to the tree trunk.

"You've already experienced my Stand ability, right? When it touches two things at the same time, it can fuse them to each other." Joshua suddenly remembered right before he had been abducted by the Cobalt Order, when his feet had apparently fused to the pavement. _This guy must've been the other Stand user in the alley that night_. The man's hand was no longer a submachine gun - though it was still holding a submachine gun. "It sounds powerful, but its actually pretty shit on its own, since it puts itself out of commission as well. I'm good for support, but if I want to actually take anyone down I need an ally with a more powerful Stand," he grinned wickedly, "or, you know, a gun."

Joshua's mind raced. Was this guy Stan's partner? No, that didn't make any sense. If he was, why hadn't he attacked them until just now? And why did he say "two out of three"? That would mean he was including Stan as an enemy. This guy definitely was a member of the Cobalt Order, so did that mean Stan wasn't? But then, why had Stan tried to take them out? None of what was happening made any sense.

It didn't help that these questions should have been the least of his concerns at that moment. The man was pointing his gun at Joshua, about to fire at any second. Imagine Dragons was stuck, solidly fused to the tree. Even if it could break away, Joshua wasn't sure it could reach him in time. He could try to run, but Joshua doubted he could outrun bullets. There was nothing he could do but wait for the man to fire his gun.

Wait. Why _hadn't_ the man shot him yet?

Joshua looked up again. The man was still pointing the gun at him. He hadn't moved a muscle. In fact, it looked as if he was frozen solid…

"You're probably thinking "How can this be? I just watched him get beaten to a bloody pulp!" right now, aren't you?"

Joshua turned around. Sure enough, there was the Stand hunter. Constantine was bloody, limping, and covered with bruises and wounds, but still smiling cheekily. To his side, a badly beaten-up Birdhouse in Your Soul stood, its eyes once again glowing blue. Joshua had never been so happy to see someone who had tried to kill him only minutes before.

"Hey, kid. That was quite a nasty whooping you gave me. Knocked me on my ass for a minute. But I haven't come this far in my line of work without being able to take what I dish out. Now then," and he strode past Joshua to the frozen Stand user, Birdhouse in Your Soul right next to him.

"The Cobalt Order. I should've have known something was funny the moment I took that offer." He sighed. "This is what I get for being blinded with greed. As always, Grandmother was right." Birdhouse in Your Soul clenched its hand into a fist and swung back. "Oh well. At least I still get to keep the advance."

" **GUUUUUUUULE**!" A deep, bellowing noise came from the depths of Birdhouse in Your Soul as it beat the frozen Stand user. It was frankly disconcerting, watching the man get bashed over and over, into a bloody mess, all while unable to even flinch. Finally, Birdhouse in Your Soul stopped, and the man fell over, completely unconscious. At the same time, the bond attaching Imagine Dragons to the tree trunk dissolved.

Suddenly, Joshua remembered Daniel on the ground. He rushed over, only to find Stan already next to Daniel, checking his vitals. After a few seconds, the Stand hunter stood up.

"He's alive," he said. "Unconscious and wounded, but he's going to be fine." A mixture of relief and confusion flooded Joshua's brain. "But - he was shot. The bullets -"

"Hit his Stand and not him." Stan frowned. "Which they shouldn't be able to do, I think. Either way, they didn't hit anything serious. He just got some flesh wounds, and probably passed out from the shock, or pain, or hit his head as he fell or something. Some bandages and a couple days of rest and he'll be good as new."

"Oh. Okay." Joshua was still confused. "Why are you helping us? Didn't you have a contract to kill us, or something?"

"Well, yes." Stan tilted his head. "Not really something you'd want to ask me, don't you think?"

"I didn't mean-" Stan raised his hand, cutting Joshua off. "Don't worry about it. It seems this entire encounter has been one large set-up. Let me ask you, do you know about the Cobalt Order?"

"Yeah," Stan may have been friendly now, but Joshua still wasn't sure how much he wanted to let this guy know. "We've run into them a couple times."

"Then everything makes sense. You see, a couple weeks ago I was approached by a man who asked me to join the Cobalt Order. At the time, I assumed they were some sleazy bounty hunter union, and so I told him to piss off - sorry for swearing. Anyway, I later learned from a contact of their influence - and what happens to people who don't give them what they want."

"Since then, I've been on my guard, expecting them to send enemy Stand users after me. I didn't think that they would stoop so low as to set me up against their other enemies, then ambush us after we weakened each other." He paused to rub a scratch on his shoulder. "Seriously, that Stand of yours is a force to be reckoned with. I can see why they're so afraid of you that they'd try to send me. Well, I guess at least I now know what to do the next time I see that red Stand."

"Red Stand?" Joshua asked. "Don't worry about it," Stan replied. "Oh dear," said a garbled third voice.

Standing over the unconscious, purple-suited man's body was lime green, jelly-like being. Its body quivered as it shook its spiky head. "I told him to be more patient. I suppose he is as incapable of listening as he is of learning from his mistakes."

 _Another enemy Stand?_ Joshua thought. " **[Imagine Dragons]**!" The green Stand charged at the jelly-like creature, claws outstretched. The creature did not flinch at the oncoming Stand, not even when Imagine Dragons sliced its claws through it with a _schlorp_. "What?" Joshua exclaimed. The creature, with its slimy body, had seemingly taken no damage whatsoever.

"A bold attempt," the creature said in its garbled tongue, "but ultimately futile. This body cannot be damaged. This body also lacks offensive capabilities, so it would seem that we have come to a stalemate. Therefore, we shall be taking our leave now. Good day."

"Wait!" Joshua exclaimed, but it was too late. The creature seemed to melt over the unconscious man, as if absorbing him. Both of them disappeared, leaving only a slimy greenish puddle behind.

"Where did they-" Joshua's thoughts were interrupted by Stan, who began to walk back to the sidewalk from the forest. "Hey! Where are you going?"

"No reason to stick around here anymore," came Stan's simple reply. The Stand hunter turned back to Joshua. "You seem like a good kid, so let me give you some advice."

"Somehow you've managed to incur the wrath of the Cobalt Order. Whatever you did to do that is now done, and you can't change that, but you can control what you do from now on. Don't seek them out any further. Just keep your head down, survive, and hope that they have more important things to deal with than you two." "I don't think we can do that," Joshua replied. Stan shrugged. "Okay then. In that case, I wish you both the best." And then, he was gone.

Daniel opened his eyes with a groan. "Ughh...My fucking back…" He blinked. "Joshua? What just happened?"

 _Goddammit_ , Joshua thought, _and_ _I still have to show Mom my test score too._

* * *

Hugh Chavez was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was left to recover. Knowing that the boss wouldn't accept a second failure, the instant he woke up he fused himself to the hospital bed and tried to make a getaway.

He didn't get very far.

 **Hugh Chavez - Retired!**

 **-To Be Continued- Bounce Back (Act 1)**

* * *

 **Stand User: Hugh Chavez**

 **Stand Name: [Landslide]**

 **Power: D**

 **Speed: C**

 **Range: C**

 **Durability: B**

 **Precision: B**

 **Developmental Potential: C**

 **Object Fusion: When Landslide touches two separate objects at the same time, the objects become fused together. These objects can be organic, or even living, including its user. This fusion does not damage either object, nor does it affect their functionality. Landslide can also fully separate the two objects at any time.**


	10. Bounce Back (Act 1)

Bright lights. The audience, silent with anticipation. The announcer, calling her name in the same dry monotone he had used for everyone else's. The judges, sitting in a panel, pencils at the ready. The beam in front of her. Everyone waiting for her to begin her routine.

And she was ready for them. Ready with her turquoise leotard. Ready with her hair tightly set in a bun. Ready with her makeup immaculately done.

Ready with the invisible man at her side.

She walked out, in front of the lights and the audience and the announcer and the judges, and she got on the beam, and it began. The performance. First the pose, and then tension, and then she was off: jumping, flipping, dancing across the thin beam. A turn, with a twirl mixed in for extra complexity, and then she was moving back to her original position. Her movements were quick, but not jerky; elegant, flowing, graceful.

A flip. And then another flip. Next a twirl, followed by a high jump. She had practiced the routine for months, and now she was executing it all perfectly. The crowd cheered every time her feet landed directly on the beam, without a stumble or even so much as a quiver. Every single move she made was deliberate and, of course, flawless.

She paused, standing on the end of the beam, and took a deep breath. Her next move, if she could pull it off, would be the perfect climax to a perfect show. But it was risky. As far as she knew, no one had ever pulled off a double flip on a balance beam. While dismounting the beam, sure, but even the best gymnasts in the world never went beyond a single flip during their routines.

She had practiced it, of course. She had even managed to complete it a couple times. But not with any regularity, and never with enough precision as she would like. She glanced at the panel of judges. Her routine had been perfect; she could end it right now and walk home with first place. Did she really need to try to perform this move at the risk of losing points?

Of course she did.

One step. Then another. And then another, and she was running now, as much as one could run on a balance beam, trying to build up enough speed, and then she was out of room, and she leapt, and-

One flip. Two flips. Landing. Pose.

The crowd exploded with cheers. Everything had gone so much better than it ever had before. An ecstatic grin on her face, she dismounted, springing backflip over backflip and landing on the mat, and walked off to even louder cheering. Her routine - even the risky double flip - had been perfect.

Of course, it hadn't been _perfect_ perfect. But that hardly mattered for anyone but her. After all, nobody could've seen the third, muscular leg of the invisible man fold out of her own and plant itself on the beam, stabilizing her.

* * *

"Aaahh," Joshua sighed over his bowl of cereal. "It's good to finally be free!"

The folded newspaper came down onto his head with a _whap_. "Don't gloat," his mother scolded. "Anyway, you're not free just yet. Part of the terms of your probation include running a few errands for me today."

"Alright, alright," Joshua took another bite of his cereal. "Do you mind if I go to the gym first?" "As long as you don't forget the errand list," his mother responded, before setting down a package with a paper on top in front of him.

Joshua picked up the paper and read the list of errands. Mail the package, buy some milk from the grocery store, do a couple other things; in other words, nothing too pressing. He had plenty of time to work out before he needed to do any of these errands. Finishing the rest of his breakfast quickly, he grabbed his coat and bike helmet before walking out with the package in hand. "Bye Mom! Love you!"

"Love you too! Drive safely!" came the response.

As Joshua walked his bike out of the garage, he stopped to take a deep breath. He hadn't just been gloating - It _was_ good to finally be free.

Ever since that fateful night at the football game, Joshua had been grounded for staying out past his curfew. Of course, the only reason he had missed his curfew was because he had been kidnapped by the Cobalt Order - but it wasn't as if he could've told his parents about that. Neither of them would've believed him, and even if they did it would probably just make his mother worry even more. So he made up a story about losing track of time with friends, and accepted whatever punishment came to him.

As it turned out, that punishment had been a month-long grounding. Even though Joshua had resolved to accept the punishment without complaint, the tedium of not being allowed to leave the house (except for school), as well as not being able to use the Internet (except for monitored homework), had left Joshua anxious for it to end. So he decided to bargain. With increased chores, better grades, and good behavior, he had managed to get a month of grounding reduced to three weeks.

As he rode his bike down to the gym, Joshua briefly thought about the Cobalt Order. Even though they still possessed the weapon they had stolen, neither Joshua nor Daniel and Hiram had encountered any other Stand users since the attack in the woods. Daniel was continuing to search for the Cobalt Order's hideout, and had even tried looking up Stan to try and find him again, but had had no success. It was as if the Cobalt Order was going out of their way to avoid them.

 _Oh well_ , Joshua thought as he pulled up to the gym. If what Hiram said about destiny was true, it would only be a matter of time before they crossed paths with the Cobalt Order again. Until then, the only thing he could do was to get better at using his Stand. Worrying too much about the situation would do no good; now was the time to get all his pent-up energy from being stuck in his house out at the gym.

* * *

Jake Elwood was in a bad mood.

Not that he ever wasn't in a bad mood. Short, squat, and ill-tempered, Elwood was known in the Cobalt Order for always being a most unpleasant person to be around, on top of being a general failure as well. His unpleasantness had even given him some notoriety in the general society as well: he had been briefly featured on the first and only season of the reality show _Tough Guy Walking_ , where he had managed to give half of his fellow contestants severe food poisoning as well as break several expensive pieces of equipment. In an interview, the producer had attributed the show's tanking ratings to "that ****ing Elwood ****-up."

Even once he was recruited into the Cobalt Order, Jake Elwood had remained the consistently unlikable loser. This was the reason for his current bad mood - as far he was concerned, it was completely unfair. Sure, he had consistently slacked off on his duties, and sure, he had forgotten the secret password so often that they did away with it for him altogether, but he still had yet to truly fuck up. Certainly he hadn't done anything nearly as bad as the two bozos who stole the Fragment and then lost it to a couple kids. His Stand was fairly useful to boot, if he did say so himself.

So why the hell was he always the one stuck doing draft duty?

Draft duty was the most menial of jobs you could get at the Cobalt Order. It meant it was your job to go to a public area like a shopping center or a mall or something like that, and sit and wait and do nothing but watch for Stand users, and then if you spot one then you approach them and ask if they were interested in amassing power and had they by any chance heard of the Cobalt Order?

Elwood hated it. It was stupid and boring and he had never once encountered a Stand user. The only reason he didn't blow it off entirely was because he was sure that someone, be it Subdivisions or Taste of Honey or the boss or that goddamned messenger Stand, would find out if he did, and then he would be in for it. Still, he hated every goddamned second he worked draft duty.

In fact, he was beginning to suspect the whole thing was some elaborate prank pulled on him. "Get him out of the way," they were probably saying, "so that we don't have to look at his ugly mug anymore." Elwood grimaced, rubbing his Cobalt Order pin on his dingy jacket with his finger. "Doesn't make any sense," he darkly muttered. "Subdivisions should be doing this job. He's got the Stand for it."

He hoped he wasn't doing draft duty incorrectly. Usually he could tell when he was doing something incorrectly, because when he was someone would be yelling at him. No one had yelled at him yet, and anyway it was pretty hard to mess up waiting around and looking for Stand users. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was somehow messing things up again.

Suddenly, Elwood saw something that made him jump, causing his car to shake and scattering the junk food wrappers on his dashboard. He paused to sift through the files in the passenger seat until he found the one he was looking for. He looked at the file, and then out of his car, and then at the file, and then out of his car.

There was no doubt about it. The kid entering the gym was one of the brats who stole the Fragment.

The inklings of a plan began to form in Elwood's mind. Beat the kid, take back the Fragment, become a hero in the Cobalt Order. Easy! He hurriedly got out of his car and started to walked toward the gym. _Screw draft duty,_ he thought, _if I get the Fragment back I'll never have to work a day of draft duty again._

 _Good luck kid. You may have taken down heavyweights like Power and Landslide, but you'll be like eggs on toast against my Stand,_ _ **[Rubber Biscuit]**_ _._

 **-To Be Continued- Bounce Back (Act 2)**


	11. Bounce Back (Act 2)

"I'm sorry sir, but I'm afraid I can't let anyone without a membership past this point. It's company policy."

The polite, apologetic tone of the gym's receptionist only infuriated Elwood even more. "And I'm sorry," he replied, every word dripping with toxic contempt, "but I have no intention of ever becoming a member here."

"In that case, I will have to ask you to leave." said the receptionist, gesturing towards the door.

Elwood's foot tapped the floor impatiently. His bushy eyebrow twitched with anger. The Stand user briefly considered punching the receptionist in the jaw and making a run for it, but his anger management counselor had told him to try to handle these types of situations with more diplomacy, so he only sighed and spoke again.

"Listen. I'm not here to exercise. I'm not here to use the pool. I won't even touch the water fountain. Just let me in, and in ten minutes I'll be out the door and you'll never see me again."

"If you're not here to use any of our facilities, why do you want to get in so badly?" the receptionist questioned. Elwood blanched. He hadn't actually come up with an answer to that question. "I, ahh…need to use the bathroom. Yeah, I need to use the bathroom." He smiled in what he hoped was an affable and not at all creepy way, trying to inject what little charm he had into his plea.

The receptionist's face was deadpan. "There are several other stores around here. If you need to use the bathroom, I'm sure at least one of them will let you use theirs for free."

The tapping of Elwood's foot was now almost a stomping. He felt so frustrated that he almost wanted to leave, drive off, and forget the entire day ever happened. But he couldn't. That boy was there alone, completely unguarded, and surrounded by fancy gym equipment - he couldn't ask for a better environment for his Stand to be used in. This could be his only chance to become a big shot in the Cobalt Order; he couldn't let something as small as this receptionist get in his way.

"Fine," he said, grunting in anger, "gimme your cheapest plan." _Making me go through all this - just you wait, kid. You're in for a world of pain once Rubber Biscuit gets to you._

* * *

Despite its placement in an otherwise ordinary shopping center, in between a laundromat and a karate dojo, Schwarzenegger Fitness was actually quite upscale. Billing itself as a 'luxury gym', it had, in addition to the typical weight machines and treadmills, several high-tech machines designed to push exercise to its maximum efficiency. It also came with a sizable pool, a hot tub, a sauna, and a spa center. Because of all this luxury, membership fees were expensive to the point of being exorbitant, so when Joshua had won a year's membership in a raffle he had resolved to go as much as possible.

After warming up, Joshua began to run on one of the treadmills. Despite it being mid-morning on Saturday, the gym was unusually vacant - other than a couple of middle-aged men running on ellipticals, a girl about his age warming up in one of the studios, and the shabby-looking man who had been arguing with the receptionist, it seemed like the gym was completely empty.

Despite his earlier attempts to put it out of his mind, as Joshua ran he couldn't help but continue to think about the Cobalt Order. Stan's words of warning echoed in the back of his head; though he had dismissed the Stand hunter at time, Joshua had to admit he had a point. Joshua, Daniel, and Hiram were just three kids - with Stands, sure, but the Cobalt Order had those as well. Even if they had managed to win a couple battles, could the three of them really take down a global conspiracy of powerful Stand users?

Sure, they had stolen the weapon from the Cobalt Order, but that couldn't be _that_ important, could it? If it was, why hadn't it been better protected, and why wasn't the Order devoting more of their energy to getting it back? Daniel and Hiram seemed to think that they were on the verge of a major breakthrough, but the more Joshua thought about it, the less sure he was that they were actually making progress against the Order.

Still, he couldn't find it in himself to back down. Not just because the Cobalt Order was in fact targeting him, as the encounter with Stan had proven. Joshua had experienced firsthand how far the Cobalt Order would go to achieve its goals. Kidnapping and performing dangerous operations on innocents, manipulating enemies into attacking one another before finishing them off - there seemed to be no line the Order wouldn't cross for the sake of its own desires. If there was one type of person Joshua couldn't stand, it was people who took advantage of their position over others, and the Cobalt Order seemed to be made up entirely of those people. Even if it was a futile effort, as long as Joshua had the means to fight against the Order he would continue to do so.

Suddenly, Joshua was snapped out of his thoughts by something strange. Even though he hadn't touched any of the buttons, the treadmill appeared to be picking up speed. _Weird. Maybe this is some kind of fancy automated setting?_ Joshua thought as he pressed the button to reduce the treadmill's speed.

But the treadmill's speed didn't decrease. Instead, it moved even faster, so fast that Joshua's legs could only just match the intense pace it set. _Is this some kind of glitch?_ As the treadmill continued to gain speed, Joshua could feel himself losing control of his pace. He needed to stop the treadmill now. He quickly pulled the emergency brake cord, and-

The treadmill didn't stop. Joshua's legs flew out from underneath him, and suddenly he was falling face first into the treadmill belt. The instant he landed, the speed of the belt shot him out from on top of it, and he collided with the stationary bicycle behind him.

"Oh my goodness!" the receptionist rushed over to where Joshua had fallen, a concerned expression on his face. "Sir, are you alright?"

"Yeah, probably," Joshua said, rubbing his head. He started to unsteadily get to his feet. "This treadmill just wouldn't stop for some reason." "Really?" the receptionist turned to the treadmill, which was still running incredibly quickly.

Joshua's body ached from the fall, and his mind was still spinning from the impact. Feeling woozy, he leaned against the stationary bicycle. "That's strange," said the receptionist, examining the treadmill. "This thing shouldn't be able to work without a brake cord in it."

"Hey, kid," said voice from somewhere behind Joshua. "You feeling okay?" "Yeah," Joshua responded. "I'm just a little dizzy-"

 _CLONK!_ Out of nowhere, something incredibly hard struck Joshua in the side of his head. He fell over, clutching it in pain, feeling a warm trickle of blood run down his hand. His mind had been spinning before, but now it was rocketing around his skull. He looked up to see the shabby-looking man standing over him, a heavy-looking dumbbell in one hand. "How about now?" the man snarled maliciously.

"Sir, what are you doing?!" the receptionist exclaimed. "Please put that down and stop right-" Suddenly, another treadmill from behind the receptionist came to life. A large barbell plate that had been laid on the treadmill belt was forcefully shot off, and collided with the receptionist's back. The receptionist only had time to utter a gasp of shock and pain before collapsing.

"Ha! That's for not letting me in until I bought a membership!" the shabby-looking man shouted. "And this," bringing his leg back, he delivered a fierce kick to the receptionist's unmoving head, "is for trying to upsell me to the six month plan!" He turned his attention back to Joshua. "Now, where's the Fragment?"

"What?" Joshua got to his feet, feeling even more unsteady than before. He couldn't think clearly; his mind was a whirling mess of pain and panic. "Don't try to play dumb with me, kid." The man brandished the dumbbell threateningly. "Or do you want me to hit you with this again to jog your memory?"

Through the chaotic fog clouding his mind, Joshua recognized the lapel pin attached to the shabby man's coat. "You - You're with the Cobalt Order!" he shouted. " **[Imagine Dragons]**!" The dragonic Stand appeared in a burst of light, and roared as it lunged towards the man. But, perhaps because of Joshua's dizziness, its movements were slower than usual, and the man was easily able to avoid its claws.

"Whoa, careful there!" the man said, leaping backwards. "You could really hurt someone like that. Besides, don't you have more important things to worry about?"

In a bolt of clarity, Joshua realized what the man meant. Another treadmill had activated, and another large plate was hurtling towards him. He dodged to the side, only barely avoiding a direct hit.

Joshua tried to advance on the man again, but the gym had suddenly turned into a war zone. Dumbbells, barbells, plates, medicine balls - it seemed like the man had turned all the gym's equipment into to ballistae, and the treadmills into catapults to launch them from. Joshua and Imagine Dragons could barely dodge the larger projectiles, and Joshua received several painful blows from smaller objects as he ran from the treadmill armada.

Finally, it seemed the barrage of weights had ended, and Joshua came to a stop in front of the man. "Is that...all you got?" Joshua panted. His entire body was sore, and his head was pounding - though he was fairly sure it was just the trauma this time - but he didn't care. He wasn't about to let the Cobalt Order defeat him so easily.

The man only smiled. "Not quite. Oh, watch your head!" Joshua looked up to see a large weight quickly coming down on top of him. Somehow, in the confusion of the fight and his scattered mind, Joshua had ended up underneath a weight machine. Joshua only just reacted in time, catching the weight with hands. "Huh?" Joshua paused, surprised. "What's with this light weight? It's so big, but it can't be heavier than a couple pounds!" "Oh really?" the man said. Without warning, the weight quickly grew heavier and heavier, until Joshua was struggling to hold it up. "How about now?"

"Let's see," the man continued, reading a label on the machine's side. "This machine is designed to push people to the limit of their strength. It continues to add weight on top of a person until their muscles give out, at which point an automatic safety lock retracts all weight. Top weight limit of...wow, three tons. I can't imagine anyone being strong enough to hit that limit." He turned back to Joshua. "Now, unless you want to be crushed to death, you'll tell me where the Fragment is."

Despite the intense pressure, Joshua managed to smile. "What do you mean? You just said it - when my muscles give out, all this weight is retracted automatically." Joshua relaxed his muscles, but was then forced to his knees. Instead of retracting, the weight over Joshua's head had intensified even further.

"That would be true, except this machine has fallen under the control of my Stand, **[Rubber Biscuit]**." With those words, Joshua saw a Stand appear behind the man. Rubber Biscuit was tall and lanky, like something out of a cartoon. Its limbs were thin and robotic, its hands and feet oversized, its body and head shaped like tin cans. Red, reflective eyes jutted out from either side of its head. On the back of its left hand was a large red button, which it was holding down with its right hand.

"See, my Stand can remotely activate machines by pressing down that button on its hand," the man said as he patted the machine gently. "So as long it continually activates this weight machine, it will continue to add weight, safety lock or not. Now, I'll ask again," and the man kicked Joshua square in the face, "where is the goddamn Fragment?"

Joshua could taste the blood pouring out of his nose. He knew he couldn't bear the weight this machine any longer; his muscles were about to give out completely. " **[Imagine Dragons]**!" he cried, and the Stand appeared at his side just as he let go of the weight. Joshua collapsed on the ground as Imagine Dragons caught the weight above him. Despite Joshua's exhaustion, Imagine Dragons was able to keep the weight from falling on them both.

"So you brought out your Stand to help," the man said in a bored tone. "So what? You can't crawl away. You can't even lift a finger." He kicked Joshua in the head again. "Where's the Fragment? I won't ask again!"

The man was right. Joshua was too tired to move away from the machine. Worse yet, Imagine Dragons was also beginning to struggle to lift the intense weight of the machine. Still, there was a glimmer of hope. Joshua only had one shot, but if this managed to work. "I didn't just summon Imagine Dragons," Joshua managed to gasp, "for its strength!"

"GRAA!" Raising its head, Imagine Dragons let out a large fireball. "Whoa!" the man exclaimed, as the fireball blew past his head. He turned back to Joshua. "Nice one. Too bad it missed." The lights above them flickered, and Joshua weakly smiled. "I wasn't aiming for you."

"Hmm?" the man turned behind him to see a white box on the gym wall smoking and sparking. "I just destroyed the circuit breaker," Joshua explained. "With the power off, this machine's safety features should cause the weight to automatically retract, and your Stand won't be able to activate it any longer." "No! Not the circuit breaker!" the man shouted. "You bastard! You've ruined everything!" The box burst open in an explosion of fire and electricity. The lights in the gym turned off, the gauges on the ellipticals went black, the smoothie machine stopped humming noisily.

But the treadmills Rubber Biscuit had activated didn't turn off. Neither did the machine applying even more weight onto Joshua and Imagine Dragons.

"...is what you thought I'd say, but you'd be wrong," the man said as he turned back to Joshua. "No," Joshua breathed. "How can this happening?" "Simple," the man responded. "Machines activated by Rubber Biscuit don't turn off. Even if it shouldn't work, even if there's no power source, they'll keep working 'til I'm done with them!" He pointed down at Joshua. "You've done some pretty impressive stuff so far, but now you're out of tricks. Jake Elwood's the name. Rubber Biscuit's the Stand. Remember that as the guy who beat you for the rest of your short, sorry life!"

 **-To Be Continued- Bounce Back (Act 3)**


	12. Bounce Back (Act 3)

Joshua couldn't imagine a worse situation to be in. He was trapped underneath a weight machine that was continually applying weight on top of him. This machine - which was powered not by electricity, but by some sort of Stand ability - would crush him if he didn't escape it. But he was too exhausted to move, and Imagine Dragons was quickly losing strength as well. Jake Elwood, the Cobalt Order Stand user who had trapped him underneath the machine, was alternately taunting him, kicking him in the head, and interrogating him about the location of a fragment. He wasn't paying attention to any of this, however, as one question continued to bounce throughout his mind.

 _How can this machine carry so much weight?_

It was a fair question to ask. The machine may have been powered by a Stand, but it's functionality was entirely in the realm of technology and logical explanations. If it could really apply up to three tons without breaking itself, then there must be some secret as to how. The same could be said of the machine's safety lock: it apparently could instantly catch up to three tons of weight, but if that was true it would put an incredible strain on what had to be a small piece of machinery. No, there must've been another explanation to how the machine worked, and Joshua knew that if he could figure it out he had a chance to turn the situation around. _One thing's for sure,_ he thought as he glanced upward. _That weight sure doesn't look like three tons of metal._ Imagine Dragons, though it strained under the pressure of the machine, tapped the weight with one claw. _Wait,_ Joshua thought. _That's not metal, it's-_

Elwood's boot struck him in the head again. "Are you listening to me? I don't want to keep asking like this, so spit it out already! Where's the Fragment?" Elwood spat. "I know you know you where it is!" Elwood pointed to a dial on the side of the machine. "That weight is almost at a ton now. Your Stand won't be hold it for much longer. Tell me where the Fragment is, now, or you'll be crushed!"

 _KRCK!_ Suddenly, a sharp snapping sound echoed through the room, causing Elwood to jump. "What the hell was that!" he exclaimed. "Some kind of internal mechanism breaking?" he shook his head. "Doesn't matter. Even if a machine is broken, as long as Rubber Biscuit activates it, it will keep going until I say so!"

"It wasn't...internal…"

Though he had been beaten bloody, and was too exhausted to move, Joshua still could speak. "Look at...my Stand…" "What the hell!" Elwood shouted. Somehow, Imagine Dragons' claws seemed to have broken through the exterior of the weight. "Your Stand! It's hands are inside the metal!" Elwood looked down at Joshua. "What the hell is this?!" "Not metal…" Joshua slowly replied. "See for yourself…"

Hesitantly, Elwood tapped the weight with a hand. "It's plastic!" he exclaimed. "That's right." Though Imagine Dragons still strained under the weight, it seemed as though some strength had returned to Joshua's voice. "It looks like a weight, but it's not a weight at all. It's a hollow plastic shell covering the real source of weight." Imagine Dragons' hands clenched the bar inside the faux weight. "It's a press! A hydraulic press!" "So what?" Elwood sneered. "It may not be a real weight, but it will crush you all the same. It makes no difference!" "Wrong! A weight is a weight, and a press is a press!" Joshua shouted. "If this is a press, that makes all the difference in the world!"

"GRRAAAAA!" With a roar, Imagine Dragons lurched forward, pulling the weight down with it. The machine toppled, crashing on the ground with a slam. Elwood had to quickly jump back to avoid getting crushed by the machine himself.

"See, if that had been a weight," Joshua explained as Imagine Dragons helped him to his feet, "I would've had to lift it up to throw it off me, and that would've been impossible. But it was a press applying a force, which meant that I could use its force as leverage to throw the machine off of me." Steadying himself on Imagine Dragons' shoulder, Joshua pointed at Elwood. "Now, it's time for me to ask you a question. What are you going to do now, Jake Elwood? Because it doesn't matter if you activate that machine any more. It's not a threat!"

" **[Rubber Biscuit]**!" Elwood shouted. The robotic Stand slammed its right hand on the left hand's red button, and there was suddenly an intense flash of light. The gym's lights, which had previously been turned off, simultaneously activated and exploded, sending shattered glass everywhere. After shielding his eyes from the flash, Joshua looked up to see Elwood running out of the main gym room into the lobby. "No," Joshua muttered to himself. "I can't let him let away." He had regained the strength to move, but not very fast, and so he stumbled across the gym. The receptionist was still collapsed on the floor, and both men who had been on the ellipticals had fled. "If he gets away, we'll lose our only lead on the Cobalt Order."

As Joshua entered the lobby, he saw the girl who had been exercising in the studio looking around worriedly. "What's going on?" she asked him. "The power went out, and then there was a loud crash." "Don't worry about it," Joshua wearily said. "Did you see a man run by here? Short, kind of shabby looking?" "Um, yeah," the girl responded. "He ran into the pool area with some kind of robot thing at his side." she tilted her head to the side. "Are you okay? You look like you were run over by something."

Something about the girl's comments struck Joshua as strange, but he was too tired to care about it. "I'm fine. Look, you need to get out of here. I don't have time to explain, but that guy's super dangerous." "But what-" the girl tried to say, but Joshua was already running - as much as he could run - off.

The pool room seemed to be as empty and quiet as the rest of the gym. Elwood was nowhere to be seen, but Joshua saw the door to the sauna and hot tubs close just as he entered the room. Still limping, but with a strength that seemed to be returning, he made his way to the door and threw it open. Elwood sat on the edge of the hot tub, Rubber Biscuit at his side. The Stand slapped the button on its hand, and a large jet of water burst from the hot tub directly toward Joshua's face.

" **[Imagine Dragons]**!" The scaly Stand appeared in front of Joshua and let out an intense breath of fire, which collided with the jet of water. Steam filled the room as fire and water continued to collide, and soon Joshua could only see Elwood's silhouette. "You've done it now, kid," shouted the silhouette. "Rubber Biscuit doesn't just activate machines, see. It also can push them well beyond their limit. This hot tub jet now shoots water farther and faster and hotter than it ever could before, and it will continue to shoot water until I tell it to stop. Now, if you still won't tell me where the Fragment is, I have only one question left. That is, will the pressure of the water knock your head off your body, or will the temperature of the water cook you first?"

As much as it pained him to admit it, Joshua knew he was stuck again. Imagine Dragons' fire was holding back the water for now, but Joshua could feel himself running out of breath. He wasn't sure if, when he did run out of breath, he could dodge the jet of water in time. _And anyway, there's no guarantee that Elwood doesn't have other jets aimed at anywhere I could go,_ Joshua thought. _In fact, it's pretty likely that he does._ The exhaustion from earlier was starting to return to Joshua's body. He needed to come up with a plan, and quickly, or he would-

Suddenly, the pressure from the water jet disappeared. Imagine Dragons stumbled from the sudden lack of pressure against it, and almost fell forward as it stopped its fire breath. Joshua looked into the steam-filled room; there had previously only been Elwood and Rubber Biscuit, but now standing next to them was another figure - no, make that two other figures. As the steam cleared, Joshua recognized one of the figures as the girl from the lobby. The other figure…

There was no question about it: the other figure was a Stand. It looked almost human, but its body was bright gold and shiny like a statue. Though it was short, it was incredibly muscular. The muscles on its arms and legs were a deep red color, and were ridged like scales. A long, wavy mane of golden hair flowed down to its shoulders. Its face was incredibly handsome, but its blank expression was more than a little unnerving. In addition, it appeared to be wearing a small black bow tie around its neck.

Elwood was pointing furiously at the girl, his face twisted and red with rage. "What the hell was that?!" At his side, Rubber Biscuit repeatedly tapped the red button on the back of its hand. The hot tub continued to refuse to spray another jet of water, and Rubber Biscuit's tapping grew faster and more impatient. "What the hell did you do to the hot tub?"

The Stand turned to the girl. "Shall I tell him, mistress?" it asked.

The girl put leaned head against her hand, appearing to consider the Stand's question. "Well, he certainly doesn't deserve it. But I'm still in a good mood, so we might as well." "Very good," the Stand said as it gave a short nod, before turning back to Elwood and Rubber Biscuit.

"It is a very simple explanation. I touched the hot tub's pump, thus stopping it." "That's not an explanation at all!" Elwood protested. "Rubber Biscuit should still be able to activate the jets even with the pump disabled. So why is it-" The golden Stand put a finger to Elwood's lips, shushing him. "You have misunderstood me. I did not 'disable' the pump. I stopped it. When I touched that pump, every molecule inside of it came to a sudden and complete stop. This, in turn, caused a flash freeze within the pump that turned all of its water into ice. You can activate the jets as many times as you like, but it will not change the fact that pumps cannot move ice!" "Incidentally," the girl added, "the pump on a hot tub is generally located in front of the heater. So you can't melt that ice quickly either."

"Now," said the golden Stand, "I will continue to follow mistress's orders by - how did you put it?" it asked, turning to the girl once again. "Beat the ever-loving shit out of him?" Elwood's red face suddenly turned very pale. "Hang on now," Elwood murmured. The girl nodded. "Quickly and efficiently, if you please." "Hang on now," Elwood was beginning to back up against the hot tub. "Hang on now." "Very good," the Stand responded with a short nod.

The beatdown was indeed quick and efficient. It was also very, very brutal. Elwood flew backward screaming in pain, before landing in the hot tub with a splash. The girl turned and rushed to Joshua, who at some point had sunk to the floor in a mixture of shock and tired resignation. "Are you okay?" she asked, standing over him. "Are you badly injured?"

Joshua registered her questions, but he did not answer them. His mind was spinning with questions of his own. _Who are you? How do you have a Stand? Why did you save me?_ It was almost too much to think about at once. Amidst this whirlwind, one question repeated itself over and over. It wasn't a question, really - it was a statement, but one that could not account for the events that had just transpired. This apparent contradiction rammed itself into Joshua's mind until he could bear it no longer. Finally, he spoke:

"Stands can't speak!"

* * *

"Oh yeah, Stands can totally speak," Daniel said. "Didn't you say that slime Stand spoke to you?"

"Well, yes," Joshua responded, "but I thought that was just the Stand user talking through the Stand. With her it's like, her Stand is a completely different person."

The two looked over at the girl - Alexa, as she had introduced herself to Joshua. "And this guy is YMCA," she had said, gesturing to her golden Stand. "He does pretty much whatever I tell him to do." "Pleased to make your acquaintance," YMCA had said, extending a hand toward Joshua while simultaneously bowing. Currently, Hiram was explaining their situation with the Cobalt Order to Alexa, while Joshua had pulled Daniel to the side to confront him about her strange, seemingly independent Stand.

"Right, well, it's not that common, but…" Daniel hands fidgeted as he trailed off, searching for words. "You know I told you that a person's Stand corresponds to their mental state? Well, most Stand users - you and I, for example - perceive our Stands as simply an extension of ourselves. However, some Stand users externalize their Stands, perceiving them as a separate entity from themselves," he shrugged his shoulders toward Alexa, "and that's how you get Stands with their own personality." "Oh," was all Joshua could say. He shook his head. The more he learned about Stands, the less he felt like he understood them.

"So that's what's happened, more or less," Hiram was saying. "Now we're trying to find out more about where the Cobalt Order is hiding and what their plans are. It hasn't gone too well so far, since the only times we've encountered them have been when they ambushed us, but-"

"I get it," Alexa said, suddenly interrupting Hiram. She glanced toward the door. "Look, can I go now? I have an appointment in half an hour that I'd really rather not be late too." "Hang on," Joshua said, looking up. "Don't you want to hear more about this? We have a-" "Sorry," Alexa said as she shook her head, "but I'm not interested in getting killed in a stupid suicide mission against a secret organization that's much larger than me. No offence to any of you, though, I'd just rather not die."

"But-" Joshua was starting to feel desperate. This girl had saved his life, and now she was just going to walk away? "But don't you think the Cobalt Order needs to be stopped?" "Sure," Alexa replied, "but I'm not going to be the one to do it. I saved you because you were in trouble, but that doesn't mean I want anything to do with your crazy schemes. I don't want to be a hero, and I especially don't want to die trying to be a hero." Alexa turned and began to walk out of Hiram's room.

"It's too late!" Hiram said suddenly. "You've already fought with the Cobalt Order. They're going to come after you just like they come after us!" Alexa paused at the door and shrugged. "Then I'll deal with them on my own." And with that said, Alexa was gone.

"Ah, forget her," Daniel said. "We don't need her anyway." He turned to Joshua. "So what happened after the fight? Did you get any good information from him?"

"Well, not much, but…" Joshua thought back to the aftermath of the fight. Just as before, a slimy green Stand had suddenly appeared and absorbed the enemy's barely conscious body before disappearing without a trace. Joshua had been trying to interrogate Elwood at the time, and though Imagine Dragons had tried to block the Stand, it had just passed through Imagine Dragons' body like it was nothing. "Before he was absorbed, Elwood did say one thing."

"What was that?" Hiram asked.

"A location. Seward Warehouses."

 **-To Be Continued- The Longest Night (Act 1)**

* * *

 **Stand User: Jake Elwood**

 **Stand Name: [Rubber Biscuit]**

 **Power: D**

 **Speed: B**

 **Range: C**

 **Durability: C**

 **Precision: B**

 **Developmental Potential: B**

 **Activation: Rubber Biscuit can remotely activate any nearby machine. This includes activating machines that are turned off, lacking a power source, or broken and unable to function otherwise. Rubber Biscuit can also control a machine's output, and can even overload the machine's maximum output to be several times more than it should be capable of. Rubber Biscuit can also prevent machines from activating when they would otherwise activate.**


	13. The Longest Night (Act 1)

Seward Warehouses, as Hiram had quickly discovered, was a collection of about twenty large, building-size warehouses located on the north side of town. "Most of the warehouses are owned by businesses or corporations," Hiram had explained to Daniel and Joshua, "but guess what the name of one of those businesses is?" "What?" asked Daniel, who had taken up his usual spot on top of Hiram's bed. "Cobalt Consultancies International," Hiram answered, "which, strangely enough, has zero online presence. You look up the name, and it's like they don't even exist." "Also, why does a consulting firm need a warehouse?" Joshua asked. "It's got to be the Cobalt Order," said Daniel.

With that, the three boys began to create a plan to investigate Seward Warehouses. "Since the goon managed to get away, the Cobalt Order will probably know we're coming," Daniel had pointed out. "We need to go there as soon as possible, or we'll find it completely abandoned." "Tonight would be the best time, then," Joshua had added. "How about at 9 tonight?" Hiram asked. "I'll try to find out as much as I can about the warehouses until then."

And so it was that at 9:17 that night Joshua, Daniel, and Hiram met outside the fence of Seward Warehouses. Despite the fact that he was still technically on probation, Joshua had managed to convince his mom to let him attend "a sleepover at a friend's house" in exchange for a week's worth of doing the dishes. Joshua had felt a little bad for lying to his mom, but it wasn't as if he could have told her, "me and my friends are going to break into a warehouse to investigate a dangerous secret society, and so I might be out past curfew." At 8:30, he had left on his bicycle, ostensibly to go to his friend's house. If Joshua's mom had been watching him leave, she might have seen him turn the wrong direction out of the cul-de-sac.

"Sorry I'm late," said Daniel, running up to Joshua and Hiram who had already met at the fence fourteen minutes prior. "My phone autocorrected 'Seward' to 'Stewart', and I was halfway to Maryland before I realized the mistake." He looked up at the chain link fence. "So, what's the plan for getting in here?"

"According to the schematics I found, there should be a blind spot in the security cameras at this specific section of the gate," Hiram said. "The guard just passed by a couple minutes ago, and once we're in there are no security cameras other than what the owners of the individual warehouses set up." "You figured that all out through a few hours of searching the internet?" Joshua asked. Hiram shrugged. "The information you're looking for is out there. You just have to be willing to dig a little to find it." He gestured toward the fence. "Now, Joshua, if you wouldn't mind."

Joshua stepped forward, facing the chain link fence. " **[Imagine Dragons]** ," he muttered. "GRAA!" The scaly Stand tore a gaping hole in the chain link fence with one slash of its claw. Daniel ran through the hole, Hiram and Joshua following quickly behind. "Which one is the Order's?" Daniel asked. "Warehouse number 7," Hiram answered. "Come on, it's this way."

From the outside, Warehouse 7 resembled every other warehouse in the lot, its sole distinguishing feature being the number '7' painted on its front. One could almost imagine that it was a perfectly normal storage building and not a collection of presumably shady stuff hidden by a megalomaniacal organization. But then, if it had been a normal warehouse Joshua and his friends would not be breaking into it under the cover of darkness.

"Alright," Daniel said as he approached the side of the warehouse, "my turn now." He closed his eyes as he touched the wall, apparently concentrating on something, and a certain energy seemed to flow through him. Joshua turned to Hiram and asked, "What's he doing?" "You know how Daniel's Stand can teleport?" Hiram responded. "Well, that doesn't just extend to his line of sight. Right now he's manifesting Sabaton inside the warehouse to make sure everything is clear. If there's an ambush waiting for us, Sabaton can just teleport out and we can be gone before they even open the door." "That's right," said Daniel, drawing back from the wall to join the conversation. "My Stand can do more than just fight; its abilities make it good for recon as well. Anyway," he pointed toward the warehouse nonchalantly, "the warehouse is clear. Sabaton didn't see anyone - at least, there wasn't anyone in the warehouse's entrance."

"How are we going to get in?" Joshua asked. "I bet this place is rigged with alarms." "That's probably true," said Daniel. "An alarm will almost definitely go off if we try to open one of the doors from the outside." He tilted his head and gave a sly smile. "From the inside, however…"

The nearby side door suddenly opened with a slam, and Sabaton's smiling pink head poked out. "After you," Daniel said, gesturing toward the open door, before turning around and walking into the warehouse. Shaking his head, Joshua followed.

The interior of the warehouse was pitch black. The moonlight that came in from the thin windows at the top of the warehouse did nothing to illuminate the dark shelves that filled the room. At the back of the room, Joshua could faintly see a door that presumably led to the back section of the warehouse, as well as stairs leading to the warehouse's upper level.

"So," said Daniel, peering into a box on a nearby shelf, "what are we looking for, anyway?" "Shady stuff," answered Hiram. "Illegal stuff. Maybe information about the Order?" "Shady stuff? Like this?" Daniel said, pulling out a small round object from the box. "Whoa!" Immediately, Hiram reacted, raising his hand as the silver shield of Off the Wall appeared over the object. "What do you think you're doing?"

As Daniel raised his arms in surrender, Joshua could see it clearly: the object he was holding was a grenade. "Put that down!" Hiram hissed. Slowly, Joshua put the grenade back in the box, and the silver glow of the shield faded away. "Come on, man!" said Hiram, lightly smacking Daniel on the head. "You can't just pick up stuff like that!" "Sorry," said Daniel, though he was still smiling bashfully. "Still, now we know there's definitely some shady stuff going on in here."

The three continued to look through the warehouse's shelves. Some seemed harmless, containing nothing but stacks of blank paper or scrap metal, while others contained boxes of weapons, grenades, and ammunition. Some shelves were simply strange, with one holding a box of billiard balls and another hold a bunch of what looked like space suits. One shelf contained nothing but boxes of the pins Cobalt Order members wore. "They must order these in bulk," Daniel had commented.

"Oh," said Hiram suddenly, "I forgot to give you guys something." Joshua looked up from a box of petri dishes. "What is it?" Hiram handed him a walkie-talkie. "If we get separated, we can use these walkie-talkies to communicate with each other." "Speaking of," Daniel said, taking his own walkie-talkie, "I don't think we're going to find anything else worthwhile here. We should probably split up, try to find some details about their base or something."

"I don't think we should split up," Joshua responded. Though there had been no sign of anyone other than them in the warehouse, Joshua couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. He knew it was mostly nerves from the darkness and the place they were in, and that in all likelihood they were completely alone, but he still preferred to be cautious. "We should stick together. Just in case there are enemy Stand users."

Daniel only shrugged. "Do what you want. I'm just going to go this way." Saying this, he began to walk toward the door at the back of the warehouse. Hesitantly, Joshua and Hiram followed closely behind. Once Daniel reached the door, he put his hand up to it and concentrated for a second before turning back to Hiram and Joshua.

"This room's clear too," Daniel said, and opened the door. The back of warehouse seemed to be a sort of clerical type of area. The room was long and thin, like a hallway, with two doors on either side. At the back of the hall was another staircase, though unlike the one in the warehouse's main area this one was much smaller, barely wide enough for a single person at a time. A bulletin board hung on one wall, though unfortunately it seemed to be empty. "See?" Daniel said. "No one around."

He moved to the door on the right side of the room. "No one in here, either," he said, pressing his hand against the door. "It looks like it's just a break room though. Not a lot we could get from there, I think." Turning around, he moved to the door on the left. "This room's clear-"

Suddenly, Daniel leapt back from the door as if a venomous snake had suddenly appeared in front of him. Sabaton appeared at his side, fists raised in a battle stance. Not daring to move, Daniel glanced over at Joshua and Hiram, a frightened expression on his face. "Guys," he whispered, "there's someone in that room."

The sudden tension in the air was instant and noticeable. Quietly, but quickly, Hiram and Joshua walked over to Daniel. The three of them stared at the door with an intensity generally reserved for a bomb that could go off at any second. Joshua felt like his heart would beat itself out of his chest, and he struggled to keep his breathing controlled. A bead of sweat dripped down Hiram's face.

"Did they see you?" Hiram asked. "No," Daniel replied. "At least, I don't think so. I only saw him for a second, but he looked like he was asleep." "We should get out of here," Hiram said. "This was a terrible idea, and we need to leave now." "What about the plan?" Joshua asked. "That room was full of shelves and filing cabinets," Daniel said. "The information we're looking for is definitely in there." "We need to leave. Now," Hiram insisted. "It's too dangerous for us to stay in here any longer."

"I disagree," Joshua said. Hiram looked at him with a mixture of panic and disbelief. "What?" Joshua went on, a wave of calmness washing over him, "There's one enemy Stand user in that room, and there's three of us. He doesn't know we're here, he doesn't know we know about him, and he's asleep. For the first time, we'll be going into this fight with the advantage. If we back down now, we'll never defeat the Cobalt Order."

"He's right," Daniel said. "We can take this goon. It doesn't matter what kind of Stand he has; if he wakes up, Sabaton will just knock him out again before he can do anything." His hand tightened around the doorknob. "Is everyone ready?" Joshua nodded, Imagine Dragons appearing by his side. Hiram looked at Joshua, then at Daniel, and then quietly muttered "Okay" as Off the Wall appeared behind him. Daniel took a deep breath and then slowly, silently, opened the door.

The room appeared to be a sort of office. As Daniel had described, the walls of the room were lined with shelves and filing cabinets. Also as Daniel had described, there was a man in the room. He was sitting in a rolling office chair facing the door, his back against a desk covered with papers and a computer. He wore a patterned blue jacket and white pants, with the Cobalt Order's pin attached to his left collar, and his hair had been dyed pure white. His head was tilted back into the chair, and his eyes were closed; he definitely appeared to be asleep.

"Don't make a sound," Daniel warned, and the three crept into the room. Hiram moved over to a shelf of binders, while Daniel slowly opened the top drawer of a nearby cabinet. Joshua, however, did not move to examine any file. His eyes stayed fixed on the sleeping Stand user. There was something unsettling about the Stand user; Joshua couldn't place exactly what, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he was overlooking something important.

"Joshua," Daniel whispered, "come take at look at this." Joshua tore himself away from the Stand user, and moved to Daniel, who was holding a piece of paper. "What is it?" Joshua asked. "It's…well, it's about you," Daniel answered.

Sure enough, the paper was about him. Written in what appeared to be exquisite calligraphy was Joshua's name, as well as details about his Stand and himself. "This is probably the file Stan was talking about," Joshua whispered. "But how do they know this stuff?" "Dunno," Daniel responded, peering into the drawer. "But there's tons of similar papers. Do you think think they have one on me?" Joshua didn't answer, instead continuing to read the file. "Why do they know about my allergy to cherries?" he asked.

"Guys!" Hiram hissed. "Something weird's happening!" Daniel and Joshua turned from the files to see Hiram pointing at the sleeping Stand user. A light blue fog had started to appear around the man, and smoky tendrils began to billow out from the chair and creep toward the rest of the room. With a start, Joshua suddenly realized what was so unsettling about the man.

The Stand user, though he had appeared to be asleep, was smiling.

"Hey, bro," the Stand user said, his eyes still shut and his body still relaxed, "I think they finally started to notice." A side door which Joshua had overlooked opened, and another man stepped out. This man looked similar to the man in the chair, but his hair was jet black, his jacket was red where the man in the chair's was blue, and his pin was attached to the right side of his collar. Most peculiarly, he was wearing rectangular paper sunglasses, similar to the kind one would wear after having their eyes dilated. Behind him, Joshua could see a small dark room with a computer in it. "I saw as much," the man said.

"I think it's time to teach these kids a lesson about breaking and entering, right bro?" The man in the chair asked. "I completely agree, Ivan," the man said as he walked over to face Joshua, Hiram, and Daniel. "Let's show them what happens to thieves who try to steal from the Cobalt Order."

 **-To Be Continued- The Longest Night (Act 2)**


	14. The Longest Night (Act 2)

Daniel reacted to the men immediately. " **[Sabaton]**!" he cried, and with a shriek the pink Stand rushed toward the man sitting in the chair. The man did not appear to be frightened by the charging Stand: He merely leaned further back in his chair, and pushed himself slightly toward the desk behind him. Sabaton teleported across the room, arm raised and prepared to slam down on the sitting man when-

Something strange happened. The instant Sabaton entered the strange mist that had gathered around the man, it no longer felt as if it was moving through air. Sabaton felt like instead it was moving through a thick type of jam, albeit without any sweetness. Its movements became sluggish; when it tried to punch the man in the chair, the resistance of the mist slowed its arm down so much that the man was easily able to react to it, dodging the blow in his chair. "Crap," Daniel said. Sabaton teleported to the man's side, ready to attempt another punch, but before it could a long, clawed arm quickly wrapped itself around the Stand's leg.

The man in the chair had draped out an arm, and hanging off of that arm was what was clearly the man's Stand. It somewhat resembled a sloth with light blue fur. Its arms and legs were long and flat, almost like the wings of a plane. Its limbs ended in three long claws, which although dull still hurt pressed against Sabaton. Its head was round, and long blue hair covered its face. The light blue mist that had surrounded the man poured from three short pipes protruding from the Stand's back. "Crap," Daniel said again, as Sabaton tried to tug its leg free from the Stand's grasp.

"EEEEEEAAAAAAAHHH!" cried Sabaton, as it slammed its fist down onto the head of the blue Stand - or at least it tried to. The thick mist slowed its arm down to a crawl, and the blue Stand easily batted it away with a swipe. " _Nyet, nyet,_ " said the man in the chair. "Unless your Stand is as aerodynamic as mine, you cannot possibly hurt me like that." He languidly gestured to the Stand hanging on his arm. "No matter how fast or powerful your Stand may be, in my fog **[Stay Up Late]** is better."

Stay Up Late stretched its other clawed arm toward Sabaton. It wasn't very fast, but caught tight in the grip of Stay Up Late's other arm and slowed by the mist Sabaton was helpless as Stay Up Late raked its claws over the pink Stand's chest. Daniel reeled backward, wincing in pain. "Daniel!" Hiram worriedly exclaimed. "I'm alright," Daniel said, clutching his chest. "I'm alright." Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Joshua step forward with Imagine Dragons at his side.

"Joshua, don't," Daniel muttered. "The mist will just get you too." "Don't worry," Joshua responded, "I don't intend to step in the mist at all." Imagine Dragons opened its mouth, and the warm glow of a fireball began to appear. "Just get ready to dodge."

The man in the chair tilted his head. "He's doing that thing with the fire, bro. Just like Subdivisions wrote about." "I can see that, Ivan," the man in red said. The man raised an arm, pushed his paper sunglasses into his face, and snapped his fingers.

A large, intense explosion erupted from the inside of Imagine Dragons' mouth. Daniel could feel the heat of the explosion, and its force caused him to stumble. When he looked back, Joshua was gone. He had been thrown backward by the blast, and had smashed through the door behind him into the hall.

"Nice job, bro," Ivan said, swiveling around in his chair. "Now that he's out of the way…" He pressed his legs against the desk and pushed off, sending the chair rolling toward Daniel and Hiram. It wasn't rolling very quickly; the mist that surrounded Ivan seemed to slow him down as well. But the mist moved steadily with the chair, and in the small room it would only be a few seconds before the mist would completely envelope Daniel and Hiram.

Daniel could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Behind the chair, Sabaton had been released from Stay Up Late's grasp, but the lingering traces of the mist still made its movements sluggish. Daniel turned to face Hiram, who seemed to have frozen in shock. He took a deep breath, and slammed his fist into Hiram's chest - not as forceful as a punch, but solidly, strongly. "Get out of here, Hiram." Daniel's voice was soft, but incredibly firm. "Get Joshua and get out of here."

Either the blow or Daniel's words jolted Hiram out of his daze. The boy looked down at the object Daniel had handed him - the object Daniel had dropped when he had struck Hiram. "Daniel-" But Daniel had already turned back from Hiram to face the enemy Stand users. "Don't worry, I'll be right behind you," Daniel said. The mist was almost upon them. "Daniel, hang on-"

Two things happened simultaneously. First, Sabaton, which suddenly in front of Hiram, interrupted him by pushing him toward the door. At the same time, Daniel dashed straight forward into the mist. The difference in the air was instantly noticeable; Daniel could feel the pressure of the mist pushing on him, slowing him to the point where he could barely move. Pushing his arms forward against the mist, he caught the chair right before the mist reached the front of the room. " _Nyet, nyet,_ " Ivan said. "You shouldn't have come in here."

Suddenly, Daniel felt an unbearable tiredness come over him. The rest of his body had become too heavy for his legs to carry, and he collapsed, though the mist still slowed him to where it felt like he was sinking instead of falling. "Are you finding it hard to breathe?" Ivan asked, his voice seeming to grow muffled and far away. "You may not have realized it while only your Stand was here, but this close to me there is no air, only my fog. Where you stand right now there is less oxygen than the top of Mt. Everest."

As Daniel slowly fell against the floor, he dragged his head through the mist to face the front of the room. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Hiram running through the wreckage of the door into the hall. "Crap," he said one last time, and his mind fell into unconsciousness.

Ivan remained motionless in his chair. "Well, Dmitri? What shall we do now?"

A pair of handcuffs and a blindfold were thrown at Ivan's feet. "Secure him and get him out of the fog," Dmitri said. "We don't want him to suffocate. These boys know where the Fragment is, so they're worth more to us alive for now." Slowly, Ivan raised his head to face Dmitri, though his eyes were still shut tight. "Okay," he said.

Slowly, Ivan got up from the chair. Slowly, he crouched down and picked up the cuffs and blindfold. Slowly, he fitted the blindfold over the unconscious Daniel's eyes, and slowly he dragged Daniel's body to a nearby shelf. All the while, Dmitri stood to the side, waiting for Ivan to finish. Eventually, Dmitri spoke: "I know your Stand slows down your movements, but could you at least try to move a little faster?" "You know very well I can't," Ivan slowly responded. "In order to keep myself awake in this fog, I have to have absolute control over my breathing. That means I have to keep my heart rate down, I that means I cannot engage in strenuous activity. And anyway, what's the rush?" He slowly turned to look at Dmitri. "You sealed all the exits, right? There's no way the other two can escape, and besides that there's no way they'd want to while we've captured their friend."

Dmitri glanced back at the security room monitors. Sure enough, movement on the screen indicated that the intruders were still in the warehouse. "I suppose so, but I still don't like giving them free roam of this place for so long," Dmitri said with a sigh.

"Relax, bro. You are too tense; if you entered my fog you would collapse instantly. Besides, you don't have to wait any longer," Ivan said, turning to reveal Daniel shackled to a shelf. "Now, where did the little rats scamper off to?"

"The one with the dragon Stand is upstairs," Dmitri said, looking at the security monitor. "The other one went back to the storage room." "So, they decided to split up, eh?" A slight smile appeared on Ivan's face. "We should split up too, then. As we are, I'd probably just be slowing you down." "Agreed," Dmitri responded, walking past Ivan into the hall. " **[All Night Long]** would be better at taking down that dragon Stand, so I'll go upstairs. I trust you can handle the shield Stand by yourself?"

Ivan emerged from the room behind Dmitri, who took care to keep himself a good distance away from his brother and the mist that surrounded him. "Of course, bro," Ivan said, "There isn't a soul in the world who can escape me once they're in my fog." "Good," Dmitri said, and began to move toward the staircase at the end of the hall, but at once stopped and looked back at his brother. "One more thing," he said. "Before the boy with the teleporting Stand collapsed, he passed something to the boy with the shield Stand. Did you see what that was?"

"Of course not," Ivan replied. "I had my eyes closed."

"But your eyes are always - Oh, never mind." Dmitri turned away and walked to the staircase. "Remember, bro," Ivan called after him, "the boss said to keep the damage to a minimum." Dmitri stopped at the foot of stairs, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a small box of matches.

"No promises."

* * *

Joshua's eyes darted back and forth. Coming to the upper level had been a swift decision; the question now was where he would go next. The staircase had led to an empty hallway, with a door on the right, two doors on the left, and a doorway at the end that probably led to the upper level of the warehouse's front room.

Which way should he go? The door on the right? A door on the left? Further on? Or should he stay where he was, and prepare for a showdown with the enemy Stand users? He knew that it wouldn't be long before they came upstairs to look for him. More questions poured into his mind: Which of the enemies would come upstairs first? The one with the mist that had slowed down Sabaton? Or would it be the other man - the one who made Imagine Dragons' mouth explode? Joshua clutched his jaw as he remembered the painful explosion. Thankfully, the impact had been somewhat lessened by the durable skin in Imagine Dragons' mouth, but it still felt like he had received oral surgery without anesthesia, and then had been punched in the mouth immediately afterward. He also couldn't taste anything other than what he could only describe as 'burnt blood'. He supposed he was just lucky he hadn't lost any teeth. He couldn't even begin to imagine how he would explain _that_ to his mom.

A sudden loud noise jolted Joshua from his thoughts. A loud _THUMP_ echoed from the staircase, followed by another, slightly louder, slightly closer _THUMP_. Someone was walking up the stairs, and making a great show of it too. Joshua's eyes darted back and forth as another _THUMP_ resounded. The door to the right? A door to the left? Something behind him let out a low growl; without even realizing it, Joshua had instinctively summoned Imagine Dragons, and the scaly Stand was flexing its claws impatiently. _Well,_ Joshua decided, _I guess I'm facing this head on._

No more thumps came from the staircase. No enemy head appeared in Joshua's sight. He briefly considered moving closer to stairs, to see what had caused the person to stop, when a small flicker of light caught his eye. Joshua barely had time to register what had been thrown from the stairs - a match - when in an instant the entire top of the staircase exploded.

Imagine Dragons rushed in front of Joshua, shielding him from most of the blast, but the suddenness of the blast still knocked him on his feet. Looking up, Joshua could see the man in red emerge from destroyed, smoldering staircase. He leapt to his feet, Imagine Dragons at his side with claws bared and ready and mouth open wide.

The man in red raised his finger, pointing at Joshua and Imagine Dragons. "None of that now," he said firmly. "Don't do what I think you are about to do, unless you would like a repeat from earlier." With a sullen grunt, Imagine Dragons closed its mouth, but it did not lower its claws.

"Don't make any sudden moves," the man warned, "unless you want the world to dissolve into heat and noise. All takes is a snap of my fingers, and All Night Long will blow you and everything around you up. Just surrender quietly, and you might make it through the night without needing a full-body skin graft."

Joshua hesitated for a second, his mind racing, and then he dashed - not at the man, but to the right, launching himself and the closed door next to him. The man in red snapped his fingers at the same time, and the light fixture on the left wall next to Joshua blew apart in a roaring explosion of flame. The blast reached Joshua just as he opened the door, and the force of it blew him into the room. As he crashed on the ground, Joshua reached out with his mind, and Imagine Dragons slammed the door shut behind him.

A loud banging began to sound from behind the door, as Imagine Dragons held it closed with all its might. _I've bought myself a few minutes, at least,_ Joshua thought. _But what do I do now?_ "Joshua Johannson? What are you doing here?" Joshua looked up to see a familiar figure, one that he had seen only hours before on that same day: a girl with black hair tied in a ponytail, a short, athletic build, and eyes that seemed to sparkle with a self-assurance that came from having complete trust in any decision one had ever made. Even if that decision had apparently been a lie.

"I could ask the same thing of you," Joshua replied, "Alexa Hamilton."

 **-To Be Continued- The Longest Night (Act** **3)**

* * *

 **Stand User: Ivan Dostoevsky**

 **Stand Name: [Stay Up Late]**

 **Power: D**

 **Speed: D**

 **Range: C**

 **Durability: B**

 **Precision: D**

 **Developmental Potential: C**

 **Dense Fog: Stay Up Late emits a dense, odorless fog that surrounds it and its user, with a radius of a couple meters. Anything moving through the fog will be slowed by heavy resistance comparable to movement through a dense liquid. As the fog displaces nearly all air in the area, Anyone in the fog will quickly feel the effects of oxygen deprivation and will black out if in it for too long.**

* * *

 **Due to the fact that the next couple weeks will be very busy for me in terms of my school workload, the break between this chapter and the next will be a little longer than usual. I apologize in advance.**


	15. The Longest Night (Act 3)

_Breathe in. Breathe out. Complete control over breathing, complete control over heartbeat, complete control over self. Breathe in. Breathe out. Too deeply and you'll suffocate; too shallow, and you'll begin to hyperventilate. Breathe in. Breathe out. Take exactly the amount of air you need, and no more. Breathe in. Breathe out. No sudden movements, no sudden emotions. Control over the mind, the body, and the spirit at all times._

 _Breathe in. Breathe out._

Ivan repeated the mantra in his head as he slowly made his way to the main storage room. Originally, his Stand had been quite a hassle to use; every time he had activated Stay Up Late's fog, he had had to wear a bulky breathing tank, which not only slowed him down more than the fog did but also prevented him from using his ability for more than half an hour at a time. Though he had been accepted into the Cobalt Order despite this limitation, Ivan had still felt next to useless in role as an enforcer, only good for blocking paths and maybe capturing a few of the more hot headed opponents before retreating from the fight.

 _But that's no longer true._ Tired of his own inadequacy, Ivan had traveled to a remote monastery in the upper region of the Himalayas. There, he had undergone intense training, and finally mastered a combination of meditative and breathing techniques to allow him to breathe indefinitely in his fog. His breathing was carefully regulated to extract the maximum amount of oxygen possible from the fog, while the meditation allowed him to conserve mental and physical energy, allowing him to stay conscious with only the minimum amount of oxygen. _I've overcome my own limits, and now nobody can defeat me._

"Now, where are you?" Ivan murmured as he entered the storage room. The room was completely still and silent, and Hiram was nowhere to be seen. Slowly, Ivan began to stride forward into the rows of shelves. "Hmm," he slowly said, "the exits are all sealed shut, and you couldn't have forced an exit either. Did you go upstairs?" He glanced at the metal staircase on his left. "No, the dust on the staircase hasn't been disturbed. You must be hiding somewhere in this room."

"You might as well come out," Ivan said, spreading his arms. "It's pointless to hide from Stay Up Late. I can just let my fog consume the entire room." It wasn't technically a bluff; Stay Up Late could produce enough fog to fill the room, though doing so would almost certainly take the entire night. Ivan was tired of waiting for his enemies to fall into his clutches. _This one,_ he decided _, is the one I'm going to seek out and subdue myself._ "Come out and face me head-on!" he shouted.

But Hiram did not emerge from whenever he was hiding. _Fine, then,_ Ivan thought, _I'll just have to force him out._ He began to slowly walk down the aisle. _Even if I can't see him, my fog will find his hiding spot. Once I get close, he'll panic and try to flee, and that's when I'll make my move._ Stay Up Late hung onto his shoulder, poised and ready to leap. _My Stand is the only thing aerodynamic enough to move quickly in my fog. It will grab him, drag him into my fog, and then I'll have won._

"Come on out, Hiram," Ivan said, his eyes searching though the shelves. "That's right, I know your name. I know a lot about you, in fact." No reaction. No movement from any of the shelves. In the silence, Ivan continued, "Your name is Hiram McRodes. You're 14, and an 8th grade student at Lennon Middle School. Your blood type is B negative, and your birthday is April 29th."

Still no reaction came from any potential hiding spots in the room. _What about this, then?_ Ivan thought. "When you were in third grade, you wet your pants during field day and pretended you had gotten hit with a water balloon." The room remained silent as ever. "Seriously, nothing?" Ivan muttered to himself. "Not even a gasp of shock?"

"I know all about your Stand too, of course." Reaching the end of the aisle, Ivan slowly turned around and began to walk through the row of shelves. "Its name is Off the Wall, correct?" No response. "It's a close-range Stand that makes up for its low power with a high durability." No noise, no movement. Ivan's eyes continued to scan the shelves. "Frankly, it seems a little overpowered to me. The ability to project an unbreakable shield over anything? You'd be unstoppable against any other opponent. Unfortunately for you, my fog isn't something a shield can block."

"That's not...exactly right."

Ivan's eyes darted to the left, toward the slightly muffled sound of Hiram's voice. Walking down the aisle slowly, but with purpose, he continued to speak. "Really? Do you mean to tell me that you can block my fog?" _I've got you now,_ he thought.

"No, that's not what I meant," Hiram responded - from the fourth aisle, he was definitely hiding somewhere in the fourth aisle. "But what you said - about my Stand being unstoppable, because of its shield. That's not exactly right."

"Oh? And why is that?" _Just keep talking, you fool, and soon my fog will fill your lungs._ Ivan was in the fourth aisle now, walking down it as fast as he could, his ears searching for the source of Hiram's voice.

"My shields absorb all energy from a force, but that force doesn't just disappear. It can't. So when I deactivate Off the Wall's shields, the force either continues unabated - rendering my shield all but pointless - or I have to take the force directly into my soul with Off the Wall. That's not so bad; the force of a bullet on my lifeforce wouldn't hurt me nearly as much as a bullet through my heart would. But my shield isn't unstoppable. If enough force is applied to it, I'll collapse and it will collapse with me."

"And why are you telling me this?" He was very close to the voice now, he could tell. The voice had still been muffled, coming from one of the boxes - some of the boxes were certainly big enough for a small boy to hide in. Ivan's last question echoed through the room, but no further response came from aisle. _My fog must have finally reached the boy and smothered him_ , Ivan quickly concluded. _I win._ He began to open a nearby crate, searching for Hiram's unconscious body, when with a sudden crackle the voice spoke again.

"I'm telling you this so that you can understand what happened once I defeat you." _What? How is he still awake?_ "Because my Stand may not be unstoppable -" The voice was definitely coming from within his fog, Ivan could hear it. _Don't tell me his Stand actually can block my fog?_ His ears strained as Hiram talked, finally zeroing on a box in the middle of the of the shelf - a box too small to contain a human, though the voice was unmistakably coming from it. Frantically, yet still somehow slowly, Ivan tore the top off of the box.

"But I'm still going to defeat you with it," said the walkie-talkie carefully nestled in the box.

Ivan didn't know if he had jostled the shelf out of shock, or if it had simply fallen on its own, but a box on the top shelf suddenly toppled over. The contents of the box spilled out, their fall slowed by the fog that surrounded Ivan - small, metal cylinders, covered in first an orange flame and then a translucent silver sheen, falling all around Ivan. _Grenades!_ was all he had time to think, and then silver sheen around the cylinders disappeared and the world dissolved into explosions.

"Concussive grenades," Hiram said, watching as Ivan's unconscious body flew out of the aisle, "have an explosive force that travels over 2000 meters per second. Even slowed down by your fog, that type of force should be more than fast enough to knock you out." The boy carefully climbed out of the vent over the second aisle where he had hidden, jumping down onto the floor of the now ruined storage room. "I guess I sort of lied earlier, when I said that letting the force continue past my shields made them pointless. By surrounding the grenades with a shield, I could delay their explosion until the exact moment I needed it. That's the real power of my Stand; it may not be unstoppable, but with a bit of thought I can use it to take you out."

* * *

"Why are you here, Alexa?" Joshua asked. He had recovered from the blast that had knocked him off feet, and now stood facing the one person he hadn't expected to see again so soon - or at all, for that matter. "I thought you said you didn't want anything to do with us or the Cobalt Order."

"Yes, well," Alexa turned away from Joshua, "I didn't. But then as I was walking home, I saw a man with the same kind of lapel pin as the guy you were fighting."

"A Cobalt Order member? Was he following you?"

Alexa shook her head. "No. At least, I don't think so. But then I remembered what your friend said, about the Cobalt Order coming after me; at the time I had dismissed it as impossible, but seeing that person so soon afterward spooked me. It probably was just a coincidence, but just in case it wasn't I decided to come here to look for something that could protect me."

The muffled sound of All Night Long's explosion rattled the door behind Imagine Dragons. Alexa tilted her head. "What was that?" "An explosion," Joshua frankly answered. "Cobalt Order Stand users are here, and one of them with the power to create explosions is after me." He paused, suddenly realizing something. "How did you get in here without them noticing, anyway?"

Alexa glanced toward a half-open window on the opposite side of the room. "That's not important. If the Cobalt Order is in this building, then I definitely can't be here right now." She turned away and began to move toward the window.

"Hold on!" Joshua said, following her. "What's the good in running away if you're already being followed by the Cobalt Order?"

"I said I _might_ have been followed. If I'm caught here I'm definitely going to be." A sudden burst of noise came from behind the doorway, shaking it as Imagine Dragons clutched it tightly. "Besides, what do you expect me to do against that?"

"Well, your Stand can stop movement, right?" Joshua stammered. "Can't it stop the explosions that way?" "YMCA can only stop the forces on things it touches. Do you want me to try touching an explosion?" Alexa snorted, shaking her head. "I'm leaving, and you had any sense in your head you would too."

Joshua barely heard her last sentence. "Forces…" he murmured. Something had just clicked in his head, something he had learned a long time ago while reading the Wikipedia article for 'fire' on a whim. "Your Stand stops forces," he called after Alexa, who was beginning to exit the window. "That includes the force of gravity, right? That's how you got up here in the first place - you stopped the force of gravity and floated up here."

Alexa turned to look back at Joshua. She paused briefly, before giving a quick nod. "Would it be possible for you to stop the force of gravity in this room?" Joshua asked excitedly. "Yes, but wh-" "That's great, that's really great," Joshua interrupted her, pacing around the room excitedly. "Could you do that?" Another explosion rocked the door behind Imagine Dragons. "Now?"

"Why should I?" came Alexa's cold response.

"What?" Joshua blinked, not fully understanding the question. "I know what this guy's power is, and I know how to defeat it. I just need your Stand to stop the gravity in this room." "If I leave now, there's still a chance that I can leave completely undetected," Alexa responded. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't do that instead of taking such a big risk because you _think_ you know this guy's weakness."

"I _know_ this guy's weakness," Joshua said, "and anyway, I can't leave. The Cobalt Order captured one of my friends here. I have to fight them, with or without your help." Alexa didn't move from the windowsill, but her expression shifted to one of concern. "You helped me fight the Cobalt Order before," Joshua said desperately. "Please, I'm just asking for your help one more time."

Alexa sighed, closing her eyes. "You're sure this will work?" she asked. Joshua nodded without hesitation. The world seemed to stop as Alexa tilted her head to the side in thought. Finally, she hopped down from the windowsill. " **[YMCA]**! Stop the gravity in this room!"

"Yes, mistress!" the golden Stand appeared at her side, slamming its fist into the floor. Joshua began to feel weightless, like he was suddenly at the top of a rollercoaster, as objects in the room began to float around him. "Just so you know," Alexa said, "YMCA can't attack or defend itself while its stopping a force, so whatever plans you have from this point on can't involve me." She looked at Joshua. "I'm trusting you to finish this quickly. Don't let me down." "I understand," Joshua said, Imagine Dragons returning to his side. "Leave it to me."

With Imagine Dragons no longer holding it back, the mistreated door was finally blown off its hinges and was sent flying through the gravity-less room by the latest explosion. From behind the smoldering doorframe, a smoldering Dmitri pointed an arm at Joshua and Alexa.

"Well, well, well, it looks like I caught two rats for the price of one," Dmitri said through gritted teeth. "I hope the two of you are prepared to meet your maker." Dmitri snapped his fingers, and then -

 _Pap!_

There was no large explosion. There was only a tiny snapping sound which came from a nearby desk lamp. "What the -?" Dmitri sputtered, snapping his fingers again and again. Two more small _pap_ s came from desk lamp, the second one accompanied by a crash as the light bulb burst apart. "Where's the kaboom?" Dmitri said with increasing panic. "Why have my bombs become duds?"

As he opened the hand he had been snapping with, Joshua finally was able to see All Night Long. It was pure black and cylindrical, with a silver opening on one end, like a small salt dispenser. From that opening, a handful of tiny black pellets spilled out into Dmitri's hand, which he then through in the air.

 _Papapapapapapapapap!_ Upon contact with the overhead light, the pellets became a cluster of tiny bright explosions, though they did nothing aside from briefly making the room a tiny bit brighter. "What is going on?!" Dmitri exclaimed. "What is - oh," He lowered his arm as he finally seemed to notice the floating room. "What is this? What are you doing?"

"At first I thought your Stand was making the fire explode somehow," Joshua said, "but when you blew up that light in the hallway I realized that the only way there could be such a big explosion was if your Stand was the explosive itself. I was pretty sure it wouldn't be invisible, so…" He pointed at the tiny pellet fragments lying on the ground. "Your Stand is - or creates - tiny explosives that detonate when exposed to heat, but then how can they cause such big explosions?" Joshua looked at Alexa. "It was when you mentioned forces of explosion that I realized. A Stand that's sensitive to heat, creating hot explosions? It had to be -"

"Convection," Alexa breathed. "The heat of the tiny explosive is pulled through the air by gravity, where the fragments react to it and explode in turn, creating a chain reaction until the overall explosion is huge." "Right," Joshua said, nodding. _I didn't remember it was called that, but still._ "Even Stands have to obey the laws of physics, and your Stand requires convection to work. No gravity means no convection, which means your Stand's main function has been nullified."

"Bah!" Dmitri spat. "Who cares if you've removed the convection from the room!" In a single practiced motion, he removed a match from his pocket and pressed it against All Night Long. "All I need to do is create my own convection - a match flying through the air will carry the heat just as effectively!"

"Maybe," Joshua said as he began to back up, carefully controlling his movements through the gravity-less room. "But the question is, can you make it in time?" "What?" Dmitri said. "I'm about to charge at you," Joshua continued, pressing his back against the wall. "Do you think you can create such an explosion before I catch up to you? Because I guarantee that once I do, you won't get another chance."

For one second there was silence. Neither Joshua nor Dmitri moved an inch; both tensed as their eyes locked. Even the floating objects seemed to stop drifting, as if they too felt the overwhelming tension in the room. Then, with a scream, Joshua and Imagine Dragons launched themselves from the wall. The Stand and the user flew straight toward Dmitri, who responded with a yell as he scratched the match against All Night Long. The match's red tip ignited with a sizzling spark, the newborn flame hurtling through the air as Dmitri prepared to throw it - and extinguishing itself just before he let the match go.

 _Shit!_ Dmitri thought, _I moved my hand too quickly!_ Any further thoughts he might have had were suddenly interrupted as the outstretched claws of Imagine Dragons slammed into him.

" **GRA-DADADADADADADADADA**!" The green Stand's claws were a blur as they slashed across Dmitri's body, lifting the man up and sending him flying through the air. He crashed against the hallway's opposite wall, sliding down to the floor in an unconscious slump.

As he watched Dmitri drop to the floor, Joshua let out a deep breath. Behind him, the floating objects in the room slowly drifted to the ground, and Alexa emerged from the room to Joshua's side. "Just so you know," she said, "I still don't want to throw my life away fighting the Cobalt Order." "Oh," Joshua said, turning away. He didn't know why he had assumed that this fight would've convinced her otherwise, but he had hoped… "I understand."

"But," Alexa continued with a sigh, "I realize that by this point it would be foolish of me to act like I have nothing to do with this. Like it or not, I am an enemy of the Cobalt Order now, and it would be more reckless of me to go off on my own than it would be to stick with you guys." Joshua looked at her again, feeling a mixture of relief and guilt. "I'm sorry for dragging you into this," he weakly said.

Alexa shook her head, giving a soft smile. "Don't be. It was my choice to help you fight. Now I just have to see it through to the end." "Well, for what it's worth, I'm glad you're on our side," Joshua said. "And I'm sure if we work together we can -"

He was interrupted by a sudden thump coming from the door on the opposite side of the hall. In an instant, Imagine Dragons and YMCA appeared at the sides of their users, who snapped their focus to the door. _What was that?_ Joshua thought. _Another Cobalt Order Stand user?_ He looked over at Alexa, who gave a short nod, and the two of them silently crept toward the door. With a fireball building in Imagine Dragons' mouth, Joshua slowly placed his hand over the doorknob, slowly turned it so as not to make a sound, and taking a deep breath in he threw it open to reveal -

"Jesus, kid! I almost froze you! What are you doing here anyway?"

With a sigh of relief, Joshua let go of the doorknob and recalled his Stand. By his side, Alexa nervously glanced at the large man in combat fatigues who seemed to take up the entire doorframe. "Uh, Joshua? Is this one of your friends?"

Joshua looked at Stan, who emerged from the room as Birdhouse in Your Soul disappeared behind him. "Something like that."

 **-To Be Continued- Fly in Honey (Act** **1** **)**

* * *

 **Stand User: Dmitri Dostoevsky**

 **Stand Name: [All Night Long]**

 **Power: A**

 **Speed: C**

 **Range: B**

 **Durability: E**

 **Precision: D**

 **Developmental Potential: D**

 **Heat Sensitive Explosives: All Night Long can fire explosive projectiles that explode upon contact with objects of extreme heat. While these projectiles are very small, and therefore cannot cause much damage by themselves, the resultant heat of the air around the explosion can cause the fragments of the projectile to explode again, creating a chain reaction that culminates in a devastatingly large explosion.**

* * *

 **As we are approaching the end of the school year, updates on this story will probably be sporadic until around mid-May. I will do my best to keep everything on schedule, but nothing is guaranteed.**


	16. Fly in Honey (Act 1)

"...iel? Daniel!"

Groggily, Daniel opened his eyes to see Hiram standing over him, a worried look on the boy's face. "Huh? Hiram? Whas going on?" Still feeling dazed, he started to move his hand to rub the sleepiness out of his eyes, only to find a sudden resistance around his wrist. "Wassat?" He looked down to see a pair of handcuffs shackling him to a shelf. "Why'm I in handcuffs? Those goons…"

"Have been defeated," Hiram finished. "And you shouldn't move so much; you're probably still under the effects of oxygen deprivation."

"No, I'm fine, I'm fine," Daniel said dismissively. It wasn't the complete truth - he was feeling pretty woozy - but he wasn't about to let Hiram know that. A red and pink arm snaked out of his own, snapping the handcuff that encircled his wrist. "See?" Daniel said, attempting to give Hiram an everything-is-fine smile. "Just as good as...Hey, whosat?" A flicker of movement in Daniel's periphery distracted him from Hiram's still worried face. His eyes narrowed as he recognized the figure. "Whas...What're you doing here?"

"Good to see you too," Stan replied. "I'm glad that you seem to have recovered well, though I notice you and your friend haven't listened to me in the slightest."

"Yeah, well, you're a goon," Daniel replied. Joshua had explained to him before how Stan was apparently not their actual enemy, and how he saved them from the Cobalt Order, but Daniel still didn't fully trust the large man. He hadn't enjoyed being frozen by that creepy Stand's eyes; he had enjoyed being shot even less. "And why are you here anyway?"

"Same reason as you," Stan answered. "After our encounter, I started tracking the Cobalt Order, and it led me here. I didn't know you were planning a raid on the same night as me, but fate does have a way of bringing Stand users together." "Bulll-shit," Daniel slurred. "You were prob'ly stalking us, cuz you knew we'd find the Cobalt Order before you did." "I do not need to track children to get information," Stan replied crossly.

Daniel had to snicker at that. "You mean the children who kicked your ass?" He leaned back against the shelf, smiling at what has assuredly been a devastating comeback, when a knock on his head jostled him out of his satisfaction. "Don't be rude," Hiram said.

"Owww, Hiram, that hur-" Daniel began to complain when he was interrupted by another knock on the head. "More importantly, what were you thinking with that stunt?" Hiram asked. "Rushing in without a clue what that fog could've done to you - you're lucky it only knocked you out! What would you have done if it had been poison, or some sort of virus?"

"Well, excuse me," Daniel said, standing up to defend himself, "for trying to protect you, and-" He stopped. He had stood up too quickly, and the blood rushing from his head had made him dizzy. He stood frozen in place, the room dancing around him as he tried not to double over and throw up. "Daniel?" Hiram said, the anger in his voice immediately replaced with concern. "I'm fine!" Daniel exclaimed, dizziness subsiding. He stood up straight, shook his head, clapped his hands against his face a couple times. "I'm fine," he repeated.

Hearing the sound of a door opening behind him, he turned to see Joshua and Alexa carrying in the white-haired man's unconscious body. "Oh, you're here too?" Daniel said incredulously. "What happened to being too good for our 'suicide mission'?"

"Someone needs to be here to make sure you guys don't kill yourselves at the hands of the Cobalt Order," Alexa replied, raising an eyebrow. "You certainly seem incapable of stopping it yourself." Daniel opened his mouth to respond, but couldn't seem to find the words in the haziness of his mind, so instead he just watched in silence as Alexa and Joshua draped Ivan's body against the office chair and restrained his arms behind his back.

"Alright," Stan said, moving to the unconscious man's side. "Step back now, all of you. I'll need some space to do this right." "Sorry, but what's going on?" Daniel asked. "You came here to look for information on the Cobalt Order, right?" Stan replied, as Birdhouse in Your Soul materialized by his side. "I'm sure that searching this office will net you some pretty good results, but in my experience as a Stand hunter, the best source of information is straight from the horse's mouth." Stan made a gesture with his fist, and Birdhouse in Your Soul stabbed its claws directly into Ivan's thigh.

The white-haired Stand user woke up howling in pain, as Stan positioned himself directly in front of him. "Okay, listen closely," Stan said softly, ignoring Ivan's cries of pain. "You're going to tell me everything you know about the Cobalt Order. You're going to give me the names of its members, their addresses, and their Stands. You're going to tell me where the Cobalt Order's base is. And you're not going to try anything funny with your Stand, or Birdhouse in Your Soul will freeze you before you get so much as a puff of that smoke out."

Ivan's screams had died down, but his breathing was still short and panicked. His head jerked around violently, his eyes twitching in all directions as if searching for something. "Where is it?" He shrieked. " _Gavno!_ Where did it go?"

"Is this the same goon I fought?" Daniel muttered. "What happened to the calm demeanor he had earlier?" "This must be the guy's true nature," Stan responded. "I've seen this sort of thing before. They act all calm and cocky while they're in control, but once the tables have been turned on them they show you who they really are. Now," he said, turning his attention back to Ivan, "you still need to answer my questions. Give me names, addresses, and Stands, or I'm going to start twisting these claws."

Ivan seemed not to hear Stan's threat, instead continuing to thrash in his seat. "Where is it?" he screamed. "My button! What happened to it?" Stan frowned. "What button?"

"The button on my collar! My button! The Cobalt Order's button! Where is it?"

Perplexed, Stan looked at Hiram, who shrugged in response. "I don't know. It probably fell off during the blast."

"Ohhhh," Ivan moaned, "This is bad, this is bad!" "Quit worrying about the button!" Stan yelled. Birdhouse in Your Soul dug its claws deeper into Ivan's thigh, causing the man to give an involuntary yelp of pain. "The only thing you need to worry about is answering my questions, starting with-"

"No, you don't understand!" Tears were streaming down Ivan's face. "That button, it - it's a Stand!" "A Stand?" Stan's voice grew soft. "What do you mean, it's a Stand?" "It's a Stand! It's connected to a Stand! It activates when we become unable to battle - please, you have to let me go!" Ivan suddenly lurched forward, sending the chair toppling over.

"Calm down," Stan said, catching the chair as it fell. "What kind of Stand? Why are you so afraid?" "I-its name is **[Taste of Honey]**." Ivan's voice was small now, no louder than a whisper, as the white-haired man stared at the ground. "It's a remote Stand - one attached to our buttons. When members of the Cobalt Order become unable to battle, it activates and… ohh, this is bad, this is bad! You have to let me go!" Ivan began to scream again, abruptly stopping as Stan slapped him in the face.

"Calm down!" Stan said again, more forcefully this time. "What happens when it activates?" "I-i-it comes and absorbs us," Ivan whimpered. "It takes us back to our base so we can't be interrogated. Please, let me go find my button - if it takes me back without my button the boss will think I tried to run away."

"Taste of Honey… Are you talking about that slime Stand?" Joshua asked. "You've seen it!" Ivan shouted, suddenly jolting upright. "Then you know it can't be stopped; not by other Stands or anything! Once it activates, it will stop at nothing to collect me - oh please, please let me go find my button."

"Hmm…" Stan scratched his head. "This isn't good," he finally said. "If this guy's telling the truth about this Stand, then that other guy has probably already been taken. We need to get out of here now, or we won't have anyone left to interrogate."

"Hah!" Ivan yelled in between panicked sobs. "Good luck trying to escape - all the exits in this warehouse have been sealed, and they're not so easy to bust through either." "I see, I see," Stan nodded. In a flash, Birdhouse in Your Soul's claws were at Ivan's throat, pressing just deep enough to draw a trickle of blood. "And how exactly would we unseal those exits?"

"The c-c-computer!" Ivan spat. "In the other room, the computer is connected to the - the -" His eyes suddenly went wide, and his breathing grew even faster as he pointed to the ground. "the - the - the floor! The floor!" "Connected to the floor?" Stan asked.

"The floor! "The door! There it is!"

At the base of the door, a puddle of bright green liquid had begun to slide into the room. "It's here!" Ivan shrieked. "It's come for me! Oh god, I don't have my button!" "Shit," Stan said, standing up as he pushed the screaming man to the opposite side of the room. "Sorry for swearing. One of you go to that computer and unseal the doors. I'll try to hold it off with my Stand."

Hiram nodded, and ran across the room to the side door, Alexa and Joshua following behind him. Daniel stood where he was, and watched as the green puddle grew in size, rising up and forming itself into a humanoid figure with a spiky head. Joshua had described to him what Taste of Honey looked like, but he had never actually seen it himself; he had been knocked unconscious at that time, after all. Taste of Honey finished constructing itself, and pointed at Stan with one long, green finger. "You are not the one I am here for," it said, its words coming out as watery gargles.

" **[Birdhouse in Your Soul]**!" Stan shouted. The purple Stand's eyes flashed, and Daniel could feel the hairs on his arms stand up as the Stand's paralyzing fear gaze was activated. Taste of Honey did not seem to notice the terrifying gaze, however, and began to ooze forward across the floor. "You are not the one I am here for," it repeated. It tilted its head, peering at the hyperventilating man behind Stan. "There you are," it said.

"That's right, I remember now," Stan said. "You weren't affected by my fear gaze. I guess because you're made of slime? Well, there's more than one way to defeat you." Raising its arm, Birdhouse in Your Soul shot two of its claws toward Taste of Honey. The claws rocketed through the slime Stand's body, and Taste of Honey peered at the tendrils embedded in its chest. "This does not affect me," it said. "I cannot be hurt."

"Oh, I know," Stan responded. "I wasn't aiming for you." With a flick of its wrist, Birdhouse in Your Soul pulled back its claws, as well as the plastic wastebasket they had embedded themselves in. As the wastebasket collided with Taste of Honey, Stan rushed forward and, grabbing the wastebasket, forced it over Taste of Honey's head. He slammed the wastebasket on the ground upside down, trapping Taste of Honey within it. "You may not be able to get hurt," he said, holding the wastebasket down with one hand, "but I can still easily trap you long enough for us to get out of here."

"That's strange, though," Joshua said from the doorway. "The thing I remember should be too big to fit under that basket." "It _does_ seem a bit smaller," Stan considered. "Maybe its size is variable?" "Maybe," Joshua responded, "But something seems off about all this."

Daniel's attention was diverted from the conversation by the sudden sound of something dripping. He looked to his right to see a long string of green slime drop onto the floor. Above the floor, another string of slime hung out of the opening of an air vent. "Guys…" he said, his voice breaking the discussion between Stan and Joshua. As the two noticed the dripping liquid, a large blob of green slime dropped from the vent, splashing on the ground and forming itself into another spiky-headed humanoid figure. The new Taste of Honey looked toward Ivan, paused for a second, and leapt at the shrieking man.

" **[Sabaton]**!" Daniel cried, and in an instant the Stand was behind Ivan, pushing his chair away from the Taste of Honey. "Hiram! Have the exits been unsealed yet?" "Working on it!" came the response from the side room. "Crap!" Daniel swore, as Sabaton pushed Ivan away from the lunging slime Stand once again. "At least this thing doesn't seem to be very fast."

The Taste of Honey stood upright, and Sabaton prepared to dodge the Stand's lunge yet again. But despite appearing to face Sabaton and Ivan, the Taste of Honey suddenly flung itself backwards into Stan. Stan, who had been unprepared for the slime's swift tackle, was knocked off of the wastebasket, and the Taste of Honey trapped under it shot out like a rocket.

Sabaton pushed Ivan forward, trying to avoid the Taste of Honey's charge, but the second Taste of Honey flew to intercept the chair. Sabaton abruptly stopped in its tracks, but it was too late: a slimy tendril wrapped around one of the chair's legs, and Ivan was yanked out of Sabaton's grasp. "Crap!" Daniel swore again, as Sabaton transported itself in front of the Taste of Honey, unleashing a flurry of punches.

" **EEEEEEAAAAHH!** " Sabaton screamed as it punched, but to no effect: its fists sunk into the Taste of Honey futilely. "This does not affect me," the slimy Stand said, passing through Sabaton. "I cannot be hurt."

The two Taste of Honeys oozed onto Ivan, merging together as they began to envelope him in their slime. Ivan's screaming had turned into a panicked, high-pitched laugh. "It's useless!" he screeched. "Nothing can hurt Taste of Honey! It can't be stopped! There's nothing you can do!" Sabaton rushed to Ivan's side, tearing away chunks of the slime crawling up his body, but the slime only slipped through its fingers and reattached to the Taste of Honey.

"It would seem he's right," Stan said. "Our regular attacks won't harm this Stand. If we had time to figure out this thing's weakness, then maybe we'd stand a chance, but it's going to disappear in a few seconds." He slammed his fist into the wastebasket, muttering something unintelligible under his breath.

As much as he hated to admit it, Daniel had to agree. Even as Sabaton continued to gouge chunks out of Taste of Honey, the slime Stand seemed to barely even slow its crawl up Ivan's body, and had almost reached the goon's neck. "Ah, well," Daniel said, giving a small smile despite himself. "Nothing we can do then." Without warning, he suddenly dashed toward Ivan and the Taste of Honey.

" **[Sabaton]**!" With a shriek, the pink Stand grabbed the top of the Taste of Honey, pulling a large layer of slime away from Ivan. As Daniel ran in between the Taste of Honey and Ivan, Sabaton let go of the slime, sending it crashing back onto Ivan - and onto Daniel as well.

"Daniel!" Joshua shouted. "What are you doing?" "Straight from the horse's mouth, right?" Daniel said, raising his head to keep it above the rising slime. "We can't stop this thing from returning the goon to his base. So I'm taking this chance - I'll find the location of the Cobalt Order's base by making this thing take me there!"

Someone shouted something in response - probably something like "Daniel, wait!" - but by that point the slime had risen above Daniel's ears. He took one more deep breath before the Taste of Honey completely engulf him, and watched as the world around him slipped away into a green-tinged darkness.

 **-To Be Continued- Fly in Honey (Act 2)**


	17. Fly in Honey (Act 2)

Daniel suddenly sat up, gasping for air. The last thing he remembered, he had been covered by Taste of Honey's slime; a thin layer of that slime still clung to him, though the Taste of Honey itself was nowhere to be seen. As he wiped the slime from his face, Daniel tried to look at his surroundings, but darkness obscured the room around him. A sudden cough to his side distracted him, and he turned to see Ivan waking up with a sputter.

"Hey, goon," Daniel said to Ivan, "Where are we? Is this your base?" "What?" Ivan had stopped coughing, and now was looking around the room frantically. "N-No," Ivan stammered. "I don't know where we are. I've never seen this place before." "What do you mean you don't know?" Daniel asked. "You're a goon. If we're not at your base, then where are we?"

"At my personal hideout."

The lights in the room switched on, and Daniel flinched from the sudden brightness. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw that he was in what seemed to be a plain office room with no furnishings. The walls and most of the floor were covered with green slime, and a short man stood in the center of the room. The man was short, with a round face, and dressed like a history professor in a green sweater-vest and dark brown pants. However, the man's hair seemed to contradict the rest of him; heavily gelled and dyed bright green, it stuck out in small spikes across his scalp, more 'punk' than 'history professor'. The lapel pin of the Cobalt Order gleamed on his chest.

" **[Sabaton]**!" Daniel yelled. The pink Stand appeared in front of the man, screeching as it slammed a fist into his face. The man did not flinch at the punch, but instead stood motionless as it collapsed his head into green goop. "Do you just try to instantly punch everyone you meet?" Ivan questioned, but Daniel ignored him. "This is…a Taste of Honey," he muttered.

"It would be more appropriate to say that this is _the_ Taste of Honey," the man said, his head reforming around Sabaton's fist. "The prime Taste of Honey, if you will...the one from which all other Taste of Honeys are created. I assume you are the intruder?" Tendrils of slime shot out from the walls, wrapping around Daniel's arms and legs and restraining him. Daniel struggled against the tendrils, pulling one apart with his arm, but just as quickly the tendril reformed and recaptured his arm.

"Allow me to introduce myself," the man said. His head had now fully reformed, but his body had taken on a greenish tinge. "My name is Herb Hoover, and I am the user of the Stand Taste of Honey...though I suppose that much is obvious. As for why you are here...Taste of Honeys are only assigned to teleport a single person each, so when a Taste of Honey teleports with more than one person inside them they come here instead of their assigned locations. That's part of their instructions. Once you were brought here, of course, I was alerted...so I assumed direct control of the prime Taste of Honey to see what had happened. I'll admit, I wasn't sure which one was the intruder, as neither of you wear the Cobalt Order's pin...but given your comments and actions," he moved closer to Daniel, staring him directly in his face, "I'm fairly sure you are not a member of our order."

"Damn right, goon," Daniel said, before spitting into Herb's face. The drip of saliva sank into Herb's nose, causing the greenish tinge to spread further across his face. "You're an arrogant one, aren't you," Herb said. "But you should consider the situation you're in." The large masses of green slime started to slide closer to Daniel. "My slime can absorb you and send you to your death, and your Stand can't hurt me at all."

The tendrils wrapped around Daniel's limbs began to expand, wriggling up his arms and legs. "Maybe," Daniel said, "but there is something I can do." "Oh?" Herb raised an eyebrow, an amused half-smile on his face. "And that is?"

Sabaton appeared by each of the tendrils, quickly chopping each one off the mass of slime before teleporting to the next. In the blink of an eye, the four tendrils had all been severed, and Daniel was falling backward onto the ground. "Run away!" He yelled, tucking his head in as he hit the ground and rolled backward. Behind him, Sabaton threw a door open, and he quickly got to his feet and ran into the dark hallway outside. Ivan and Herb were left standing in the room, listening to Daniel's footsteps fade off in the distance.

Ivan looked toward Herb, pointing at the open door. "He just…" "Don't worry about him," Herb said, the half-smile still present on his face. "He won't get far. This place is crawling top to bottom with Taste of Honey's copies." The masses of slime slid off the walls, gathering together and oozing out of the door. "Anyway, he is not your concern...you are still injured. I'll have one of my Taste of Honeys return you to your base."

"Wait!" Ivan said. "I don't have my button. If I return to my base without one, my boss will think I tried to run away, and he'll…" "I see, I see," Herb said, nodding. "Don't worry. I have several pins here...one of my Taste of Honeys will bring you one before it transports you away." "Oh, thank you!" Ivan cried, tears streaming down his face as he threw himself at Herb's feet. "Thank you so much, I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused, thank you, thank you…"

Herb tilted his head, considering the pitiful man at his feet. "Don't worry," he said. "This is no trouble for me at all. In fact, if I am being honest, I am glad this has happened. It has been so long since I used my Taste of Honey for anything other than transporting defeated members of the Order. I will...enjoy this exciting development."

* * *

Daniel continued to run down the dark hallway, eventually slowing to a jog as he realized he wasn't being followed. _Okay Daniel, time to focus_ , he thought to himself. _As much as I'd like to go back and punch out those goons, I can't punch a Stand that's immune to punching. Right now the only thing I can do is escape._ He shook his head; if Hiram had been here, he probably would have been chewing Daniel out for jumping into the Taste of Honey without the slightest precaution. _Actually, he probably is complaining about me right now._

Daniel sighed. _I hope I haven't worried him too much_.

But returning to Hiram triumphant, proving once again that he didn't have to be so worried all the time, could come later; first, he actually had to escape, and that meant answering a few questions. _Number one: where even am I?_ He could tell that the hall he had escaped into was huge, his footsteps echoing as he ran, but the darkness obscured all other details. Though the hall was pitch-black, and Daniel couldn't see more than a few feet in front of his face, he wasn't too worried about this question. After all, Sabaton was a Stand built for reconnaissance, and he could easily send it teleporting around the hideout in order to get his bearings.

 _Number two: how do I defeat that Taste of Honey?_ Even though it didn't seem to be chasing him, Daniel was sure the Cobalt Order wouldn't let him get away so easily. _I'm definitely at a disadvantage here; not only can I not hurt him, but this is his home field. And yes,_ Daniel thought at the hypothetical retort he knew Hiram would say if he were here, _I am aware that the same thing would likely be true even if I managed to reach their actual base._ Still, Daniel refused to believe that Taste of Honey didn't have any weakness. _I can't punch it, but there must be something that affects it. It's a Stand made of slime...Slime..._ The answer was there, he knew it, but there wasn't anything connecting it to what Daniel could do at that time.

 _Number three: skwelch. Skwelch?_ Daniel thought again, suddenly stopping in place. Something cool and slimy was beginning to crawl up his ankle. He looked down to see a mass of green slime pooling at his feet. "Shit!" Daniel yelled, yanking his leg upward. Sabaton appeared at his side, chopping off the tendril of slime that clung to his ankle, and Daniel turned and ran from the forming Taste of Honey. As he ran, though, he noticed that something seemed to be weighing his leg down, and he looked down to see a piece of slime still clinging to his leg.

"Are you surprised?" hissed a voice. Daniel looked up to see another Taste of Honey rushing toward him. "Stale Taste of Honeys may lose their form when you break off their pieces," the Taste of Honey said as it reached out and grabbed Daniel's arm, "but we fresh copies are made of tougher stuff." Daniel yanked his arm back, breaking the tendril off of the Taste of Honey, but the slime still clung to his arm. The Taste of Honey reached out again. "You cannot harm us. You cannot escape us. Accept your defeat and let us absorb you."

"Not a chance!" Daniel shouted, as the concrete wall to his side exploded outward. He ran through the new hole where Sabaton was standing, furiously trying to scrape the slime off his arm. But it was useless: as fast as he pulled the slime off of one arm, it only clung to his other arm, until both of his arms were covered in slime. Still, he continued to run away from the Taste of Honeys. The room he was in now was also huge, though unlike the previous hall there was enough light to see his surroundings. Daniel could see large, cylindrical structures in his periphery, but he ignored them and kept running.

 _SPLAT!_

Out of nowhere, a large Taste of Honey fell on top of Daniel, nearly knocking him off his feet. Daniel tried to keep running, but the Taste of Honey was weighing him down and clinging to the ground, so Daniel could barely move.

As the large Taste of Honey continued to envelop Daniel, the other Taste of Honeys caught up to him and began to attach themselves to him as well, until he was almost entirely covered in the slime. "You cannot escape us. Accept your defeat and let us absorb you," one of the Taste of Honeys said. "Where shall we take you? The bottom of the ocean?" No, no," another said. "Take him to the upper atmosphere and let him drop!" "No, no," the third one said. "A volcano! Let's take him to the crater of an active volcano!"

"How about a hydroelectric dam?" Daniel said. The Taste of Honeys stopped their crawl over Daniel's body. "A hydroelectric dam? Why would you want to go to a hydroelectric dam?" one asked. "You're right," Daniel responded. "I guess it wouldn't make much sense for you to take me to a hydroelectric dam."

"After all, we're in a hydroelectric dam right now, aren't we?"

"What do you mean, we're in a hydroelectric dam?" a Taste of Honey asked. "How do you know that?" "Let me ask you a question: where do you think my Stand is right now?" Daniel replied. "I didn't recall it. I've made it teleport around this place, to try to figure out where I am, but I didn't know it was a hydroelectric dam until I got here." He reached up slowly, with one slime-covered arm, and tapped the wall. "From my position here, Sabaton can clearly the dam we are in - from the outside."

"What does it matter if you know this is a hydroelectric dam? You cannot harm us. You cannot escape us!" a Taste of Honey shouted. "Are you sure about that?" Daniel said. "Sabaton has done more than just look around. Once I knew this place was a dam, it went to work - a kick here, a broken pipe there, and now this place is set to burst. There's only one thing I need to destroy to defeat you now." Sabaton appeared above Daniel and the Taste of Honeys, standing on an exposed pipe on the wall. "And that's this pipe here!"

In a flash, the Taste of Honeys leapt off of Daniel, throwing themselves at Sabaton before it could stomp on the pipe. The masses of slime clung to Sabaton's limbs, pinning them to the wall. "You cannot defeat us!" one yelled. "Your Stand is stuck! You've lost!"

Daniel only smiled. "Just kidding," he said, crawling away from the wall. He could start to hear the sound of rushing water - a lot of it - nearby. "It's already done. I just needed you to get off of me for a second." And he took a deep breath.

The wall of water hit hard - much harder than Daniel had expected. He fought to keep the air in his lungs, barely managing to not pass out as he was whirled around by the current. Still, his plan had worked - the Taste of Honeys had dissolved almost instantly when the water hit them. _It makes sense_ , Daniel thought. _They're made of slime, and they can absorb things, so of course they would dissolve in water. I've gotten rid of the Taste of Honeys; now I just need to focus on not drowning myself, and I can get out of here!_

"FOOL!" a voice boomed through the water behind him. Daniel looked back to see a massive green hand reaching toward him. "YOU TRIED TO DESTROY MY TASTE OF HONEYS BY FLOODING THE DAM?" the mass of slime yelled. "DID YOU REALLY THINK I WOULD BE SO STUPID AS TO SURROUND MY STAND WITH ITS ONLY WEAKNESS? THERE IS A REASON I CHOSE TO BASE MYSELF IN THIS DAM...ITS COPIES MAY DISSOLVE IN WATER, BUT THE PRIME TASTE OF HONEY...WATER CAUSES IT TO EXPAND!"

 _No way!_ Daniel thought as a large tendril of slime extended from the hand and wrapped around his body. Sabaton attempted to sever the tendril from its source, but its fists sank harmlessly into the slime. "I DON'T NEED TO TRANSPORT YOU ANYWHERE NOW...YOU CAN DIE IN THE VERY DESTRUCTION THAT YOU CREATED!" _I just need to sever that tendril, and it will dissolve, but it's too big!_ Daniel thought. _It's absorbing water faster than Sabaton can cut into it!_ "YOU CANNOT HARM ME. YOU CANNOT ESCAPE ME," Herb bellowed. "ACCEPT YOUR DEFEAT AND DIE!"

 _Die?_ Daniel thought. _No...This may be all my fault, but there's no way in hell that I'm going to die for it!_ The halls of the dam were solidly built, made to withstand any damage that they may take, including pressurized flooding should any other sections break - at least, they appeared to be from the outside. However from inside the walls, Sabaton could see weakened points created by years of neglect in maintenance. It slammed its foot on one such point once, and then again, and then again until -

" **EEEEEEAAAAHH!** " Sabaton shrieked as it slammed its foot down once more, sending a section of ceiling collapsing into the flooded hall below. The falling rubble sliced through the slime tendril with ease, causing the slime wrapped around Daniel to dissolve, and the current dragged Daniel away from the now blocked hallway.

"YOU CANNOT ESCAPE ME!" Herb cried again, as several small tendrils poked through the water and shot toward Daniel. "YOU CANNOT...WAIT, WHAT?" The tendrils had stopped moving toward Daniel, and instead hung in place, seemingly pulling against something. _Actually, I can escape you,_ Daniel thought. _Destroying that ceiling didn't just sever your tendril; it also changed the flow of the current. Your Stand is a lot of things, but one thing it isn't is strong enough to break down that wall of rubble. And it's certainly not strong enough to resist the current flowing through it!_

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Herb yelled, his voice receding as Taste of Honey's tendrils were sucked back through the cracks in the rubble. _I did it!_ Daniel thought. _I won!_ He spun around, watching as the water carried him through the dark halls of the dam. _Now, let's just hope I got the route to get out of here right…_

* * *

The sun had barely begun to rise when Hiram's cell phone began to ring. It had only rung a single time when Hiram answered, not even bothering to check the caller ID. "Hello?" he almost shouted, in a voice both exhausted with worry and excited by sudden hope.

"Hey, Hiram," came Daniel familiar, all-too-cocky voice from the other side of the phone. "How'd everything go on your end?"

"Daniel!" Hiram definitely shouted this time, causing the others to look toward him. "Daniel's okay!" he quickly told them, before turning back to the phone. "What happened, Daniel?" A tinge of anger began to creep into Hiram's voice. "After what you did, I thought for sure you'd be -"

"Don't worry about it," Daniel said, cutting him off as usual. "I didn't even make it their base: the goon who controlled the Taste of Honey sent me to him instead. I trounced him easily, of course, but I'm afraid the other goon got away. It looks like we're back to square one."

"Not necessarily," Hiram replied. "We continued to look through the office while you were gone, and apparently Mr. Istanbul found something really interesting." He brought the phone to the front of his face. "Look, I'm just glad you're...uh, Daniel? Why aren't you calling me with your phone?"

"Oh yeah, sorry about that. My phone got a little waterlogged in the fight, and it took me a while to find the change for this pay phone." "Waterlogged?" Hiram asked, confused. "What do you mean?" "It's a long story," Daniel replied. "So anyway, can you get Stan to pick me up? I don't really have any money to get home with." "What? Daniel, where are you?"

"Uhhhh...Ohio, I think?" "What?!" Hiram shouted into the phone. "What are you doing in Ohio?"

"Like I said, it's a long story."

 **-To Be Continued- The Most Dangerous Game (Act 1)**

* * *

 **Stand User: Herb Hoover**

 **Stand Name: [Taste of Honey]**

 **Power: E**

 **Speed: C**

 **Range: A**

 **Durability: A**

 **Precision: C**

 **Developmental Potential: D**

 **Slime Body: Taste of Honey is made of slime; as such, it can change its shape, absorb water to grow larger, split into smaller copies of itself, and instantly regenerate from physical attacks. It can also condense itself into a tiny blob of slime.**

 **Slime Copies: By exposing bits of its enlarged self to electricity, Taste of Honey can clone itself. These copies share Taste of Honey's abilities, though they will dissolve if exposed to water. In addition, while the user is able to sense the activities of these copies, they cannot be directly controlled except to follow simple commands.**

 **Object Teleportation: By encasing an object within itself, Taste of Honey can cause that object to teleport; however, doing so destroys that iteration of Taste Honey. Taste of Honey can also transport living things and people in this way.**


	18. The Most Dangerous Game (Act 1)

"Okay, run this by me one more time," Daniel said. "Why, exactly, are we here?"

After a bit of confusion in determining Daniel's location, Stan had taken his black truck to pick Daniel up and bring him back to Virginia. It was now early afternoon, and the five of them - Joshua, Hiram, and Daniel, as well as Alexa and Stan - had gathered inside Stan's truck, which was parked on the side of the road in a suburban neighborhood. Two rows of nearly identical houses surrounded them; every so often, a car would slowly pass by, but otherwise the entire block was still and silent. Stan impatiently tapped on the steering wheel, turning to Daniel.

"I don't understand how you can still be confused by this, given the six hours you had to ask me questions," Stan said with a sigh. "Okay. While you were fighting with that slime Stand, the rest of us continued searching that office to find more leads on the Cobalt Order. About half an hour before you called Hiram, I found a pile of these in one of the trash cans." He held up a torn, empty envelope, passing it to Daniel. "What's the first thing you notice about this?"

Daniel held up the envelope, examining it for a second, before responding, "It doesn't say where it's addressed to. There's a return address," he continued, slowly spinning the envelope, "but nothing else." "And yet, it seems to have been delivered," Stan said, "which means that whoever delivered it must be associated with the Cobalt Order. As it happens, I have had an encounter with a message-sending Stand that matches this description perfectly."

Stan pointed to the house across the street. "The return address listed on that envelope is this house, which tells us two things about its occupant. First, that they are the type of person that will buy stationary with their own address already printed on it. And second, that they are a member of the Cobalt Order. They might even be a central figure."

"The person in that house is a goon, I got that," Daniel said, tossing the envelope aside. "What I meant was, why exactly are we all here together? You tried to kill us!" He turned around to Alexa, who was gazing out the car's window disinterestedly. "And I thought you didn't want anything to do with us." "What was that?" Alexa asked, pulling one earbud out of her ear.

"That's enough," Hiram said, lightly swatting the back of Daniel's head. "Mr. Istanbul's attack was a misunderstanding, and he has apologized for it. He also was kind enough to drive out to Ohio and pick you up. Anyway, wasn't it you who said that the more people that can help us fight the better? So stop complaining."

"Fine, fine," Daniel said begrudgingly. "But," he added, pointing to Stan, "don't think I won't be keeping an eye on you." Stan lightly chuckled in response. "Okay, kid. You do that. I just want the same thing you do." "Do you?" Joshua asked. Something that had been bothering him for a while finally came to the surface. "I thought you had warned us to stay away from the Cobalt Order."

Stan chuckled again. "I did, I did. And if you boys had any sense you would listen to me. But it's different for someone like me, who makes it their business hunting Stand-using criminals. The Cobalt Order considers me a threat, so they have made me a target. For them, I must either quit being a Stand hunter, join their Order, or die. For me, none of those options are acceptable, and so the Cobalt Order must fall. Besides, there are a few kids I know who might get themselves killed if they continue running into ambushes without a plan." He was staring pointedly at Daniel by the last sentence, who in turn turned away and muttered something along the lines of "can take care of myself...beat you..." under his breath.

"Let me ask you a question," Stan continued. "You were searching that warehouse for evidence of illegal activity, correct? What exactly were your plans once you had found said evidence?" "Well," Hiram said hesitantly, "It's not like we could just go to the police, right? Even if they believed us, there wouldn't be much they could do against Stand users." "Perhaps," Stan responded. "The thing to realize is, the reason Stand users commit crimes - the reason anyone commits crimes, really - is because they believe they can get away with it. The Cobalt Order is the same: they're a bunch of thugs who have decided that their Stand powers give them the right to do whatever they want. Once they learn they can't get away with their misdeeds, they stop; the job of a Stand hunter like myself is to beat that lesson into their heads."

So, your plan is to beat up each member of the Cobalt Order until they all turn themselves in?" Alexa questioned. "And then hope that they keep their promise?" "It's a bit more complicated than that," Stan answered, "but you'd be surprised how docile a defeated Stand user can be. The more arrogant they are, the more deflated they become when they lose. And organizations exist to monitor such Stand users and make sure they stay out of trouble."

"But that's not the only reason we're here," Joshua said, staring out the window toward the house. "You think this guy might be a central figure in the Cobalt Order?"

Stan shrugged. "It's possible. There were several more envelopes like this one, and it seems unlikely that a regular grunt would be sending so many letters. At the very least, this person will probably know the location of the Cobalt Order's base."

"So what are we waiting for?" Daniel asked, opening the car door. "Let's go over there and bust some heads!" "Hold on, now," Stan said, grabbing Daniel by the collar and pulling him back into the seat. "As we are working together now, we will be doing this the right way. And that means forming a plan. We don't know what sort of Stand ability this person has, after all. There is one advantage we hold, and that is surprise. He may know about our raid on the warehouse, but he can't know we're outside his house right now."

* * *

Unfortunately, Stan was wrong. Wilson Woods, the man inside the house, could know they were outside the house right then. In fact, he _did_ know they were outside the house right then, and he was currently freaking out about it.

"Oh, this is bad, this is bad!" he whimpered, pacing the small, cluttered room he called an office. Beside him, a yellowish creature with fuzzy, spindly arms frantically scribbled on a pad of paper. "Why me? Why'd they have to come to me?" Woods whine. "How did they find me? An envelope? My correspondence is meant to be kept secured!" He suddenly stopped in place, bent down, and stared at his yellowish Stand, which was still scribbling furiously. "We can't fight them!" He hissed at his Stand.

His Stand's name was **[Subdivisions]** , and it was an information gathering Stand. All it took was the description of a person, and Subdivisions could write down everything about them: their names, their addresses, even their Stand powers. Though it completely lacked offensive power, Subdivisions' ability had made Woods an invaluable asset of the Cobalt Order. Subdivisions would create files of the Cobalt Order's enemies, and Woods would send them out. Because of him, Cobalt Order operatives always knew who to look out for, as well as any secret abilities their enemies might possess. In exchange, Woods was able to live comfortably without having to work a day in his life.

And now, all of that was about to come crashing down, because he had decided to get fancy with his stationary.

Subdivisions had been updating some of the files when one of them - Hiram McRodes - suddenly had the listed location as being 'outside your house.' Through panic, Woods and Subdivisions quickly determined that there were five Stand users located in the car across the street, all of them enemies of the Cobalt Order who had come to capture him. Woods nervously peeked at the car from behind the window blinds. They were there, all right, and he could recognize them even though he couldn't see them clearly.

The boy with wavy brown hair who was gazing intently at his front door - Joshua Johannson, whose Stand had been awakened by the Cobalt Order only a few weeks ago. Woods sharply turned away from the blinds, pacing the room once again. "Subdivisions," he snapped, "what's going on? Are they about to attack?" The Stand's large eyes blinked as it held up the pad of paper. _Not yet,_ it read, _Daniel wants to but Stan is having them come up with a plan first. None of them know your Stand ability._ That was the one good thing about the enemies being so close: at this range, Subdivisions could sense their precise locations and intentions. It was still entirely too close for Woods' liking, though. "If I get out of this all of my notes will be sent in blank envelopes," Woods swore. "More than that, I won't even put my notes in an envelope to begin with. Oh, why did this have to happen to me?"

A ringing cell phone shocked Woods out of his monologue, and he desperately dove for it, answering it before it could ring again. "Gary, is that you?" he shouted into the phone. "Are you set up?"

A derisive chuckle came through the phone. "Yep, I'm ready to go," Gary answered. All I need is that information I told you get ready." "Yes, yes!" Woods exclaimed, turning away from the phone. "Subdivisions, show me what you've prepared." He yanked the pad of paper from his Stand's hands, and turned back to the phone. "Where would you like to begin?"

"Let's start with the location of your house. I know generally where it is, but I'll need a precise distance to be accurate," came Gary's reply. "Yes, of course!" Woods said. "My house is - let's see here - exactly 453 meters away from your current position." "All right," Gary said, "I'm putting down the walls now."

Woods peeked outside the blinds again. Everything seemed the same as before, but a faint distortion in the air around his lawn revealed the truth - the invisible, impenetrable walls that now surrounded his house. Gary's Stand was a powerful thing indeed.

"Moving on," Gary said, "what's the location of the enemy?" "They are grouped together in a car directly south of my house," Woods replied, turning his attention back to the pad of paper. "They're about 30 meters away from me." "Excellent. and there are five of them?" "Yes. Remember, these people are the ones who stole the Fragment from us. We need to keep at least one alive until Subdivisions can decipher where they hid it. At the same time, we can't let them get away, and we absolutely cannot let them get to me."

Gary let out another derisive chuckle. "Don't worry. You did the right thing by calling me. Between your information Stand and my **[Limelight]** , there's no way they can win."

* * *

"Alright, is everybody listening?" Stan asked. "Here's the plan."

He held up a clipboard. "Alexa, you'll be with me. We're going to approach his house as if we were solicitors, and ring the doorbell. When the Stand user answers, we immobilize them with our Stands. Daniel and Hiram will be behind us; Daniel, if the Stand user doesn't answer the door, you'll use your Stand to search the house for him. Meanwhile, Hiram will have his Stand at the ready to protect us from ambushes."

"Finally, we get to you," Stan said, turning to Joshua. "Joshua, you will sneak around to the back of his house. If he tries to escape out that way, you'll block his exit and capture him. You'll be the only person Hiram's Stand can't protect, so the durability of your Stand will have to be enough."

Joshua nodded. _So this is what how a professional Stand hunter works,_ he thought as he turned his gaze back to the enemy's house. _I wonder if he had a similar plan when he fought us?_ Light from the sun, setting but still high in the sky, glinted through the window; a shape seemed to be forming in the glint, a shape which appeared to be…

"If everything goes to plan, we should have no trouble capturing…" Stan was saying when Joshua jerked back from the window with a gasp. "Everybody get down!" he shouted.

 _THUMP!_ Something incredibly heavy-sounding landed on the roof of the car. Joshua raised his head to see a silvery sheen covering the car window. By Hiram's side, Off the Wall had appeared and was pressing its large hands against the roof. There was the briefest moment of complete silence and then -

"Everyone out of the car!" Stan yelled. "Now!"

Joshua didn't need to be told twice. He almost stumbled as he rushed out of the car, Imagine Dragons appearing at his side as he ran across the street. The rest of the group followed suit, spreading out from the car in various directions. When he had put what he had felt to be a safe distance between him and the car, Joshua looked back to see what had crashed onto the roof.

Standing with one leg on the car was a giant figure, about 15 feet tall. The figure was tan and nearly featureless, with a lumpy body and a stubby, misshapen head. A crumbling sound could be heard from its thick neck as it turned its head to face Joshua.

"How could this have happened?" Hiram questioned, a look of shock on his face. "How did they know?"

"Heads up!" Daniel called from the other side of the street. Four more giant figures, identical to the one on the car, fell from the sky. They crashed to the ground around the group, cracking the pavement beneath their feet and sending up clouds of dust and gravel.

"Everyone, on your guard!" Stan yelled. "The Stand user inside has begun an attack!"

 **-To Be Continued- The Most Dangerous Game (Act 2)**

* * *

 **Stand User: Wilson Woods**

 **Stand Name: [Subdivisions]**

 **Power: D**

 **Speed: B**

 **Range: C**

 **Durability: C**

 **Precision: A**

 **Developmental Potential: B**

 **Profile Writing: Subdivisions can create written profiles of people after having been given a picture and/or a description of them. This profile can include names, powers, locations, and personal details. The profiles Subdivisions writes become more precise the closer the subjects are to Subdivisions; at close enough range the profiles can include the inner thoughts and short-term intentions of the subjects.**


	19. The Most Dangerous Game (Act 2)

"You didn't crush them, I'm afraid," Woods said through the phone. "One of them saw your golems falling, and they put a shield around the car before it landed."

"That's a shame," Gary said flippantly, "But I'm not too worried. These golems are good for more than just landing on things; and anyway, these are just the beginnings of my arsenal."

"Subdivisions is projecting only a 15% chance that these golems will win," Woods responded curtly. "Is this the best your Stand can do?" "Oh? So your Stand does data analysis now?" Gary returned. "Relax, I'm not expecting the golems to win. This is just a warm-up round. By putting such a basic type of monster against my enemies, I'm able to better understand their capabilities and find a counter to them. After that, it usually only takes a couple more rounds before they're defeated. Limelight requires a lot of information to operate, but in situations like this it's practically invincible."

A loud bark distracted Gary from his thoughts, and the large man looked up to see a small brown dog standing a few feet away from him, muscles tensed and teeth bared. "Clear off, mutt," Gary said, waving the dog away. "I don't have time to play fetch with you, I'm busy." The dog responded by drawing back and growling.

"Oh, I get it," Gary said sweetly, turning toward the dog. "You're upset because I'm on your lawn, is that it?

The dog was still growling when Gary's boot collided with its snout, sending it tumbling backward head over tail. The dog rolled to its feet and ran away, letting out pained whines. "Take that, you lousy mutt!" Gary called after it. "This is my lawn now!"

Gary was thankful the neighborhood he had set himself up in seemed to be empty. He knew he would seem strange to bystanders: a large, chubby man on the edge of a lawn, surrounded by boxes and hunched over what appeared to be a small table with a monitor on it. That strangeness would draw them in, and would only increase as they got close to him. They would notice that the monitor displayed a radar as well as lots of unknown names and numbers, that it was actually built in to the table, that on the table were five small figures roughly made of clay, and that the boxes were full of similar figures made of other materials and objects. Explaining what he was doing to onlookers would've been very tedious, and so Gary was glad that none had appeared so far.

After watching the dog run off, he turned back to his Stand, examining the radar pings and flashing numbers across Limelight's monitor. "These are the kids who defeated Power and took the Fragment, huh?" Gary said to himself. "Well, let's see how they do against my modeling clay golems."

* * *

"The Stand user has begun an attack!"

As if in response to Stan's yell, the giant figures suddenly started to run toward him. The closest raised one of its large arms and slammed a fingerless fist on the ground, with Stan barely dodging to the side. " **[Birdhouse in Your Soul]**!" he called as he dodged, and the purple Stand flashed into existence behind him. Five claws shot out of one of its hands, embedding themselves in the giant's chest. Birdhouse in Your Soul then pulled back its hand, causing the giant to topple over. Its bumpy head cracked as it hit the ground.

Joshua had been watching the giant fall over when he heard Hiram call, "Joshua! Above you!" Joshua looked up to see the huge fist of a similar giant barreling down upon him. He dove forward, narrowly avoiding the slam, while Imagine Dragons shot a fireball directed at the giant's face. It exploded upon contact, and small chips of dried clay rained down on Joshua; he looked up to see that the fireball had destroyed the front half of the giant's head. He quickly got to his feet and ran out from underneath the giant, half expecting it to topple over onto him.

But the giant didn't fall over. It remained standing, and continued to move despite the lack of most of its head. At the same time, the giant Birdhouse in Your Soul had knocked over slowly stood up, dried clay falling from its cracked head. Joshua looked around to find that the group had been surrounded by the five giants.

"What's the plan?" Hiram asked as the group gathered in the middle of the street. After a moment, Stan responded, "These things seem to be completely made out of some kind of clay. They aren't affected by Birdhouse in Your Soul's fear gaze, and they don't appear to feel pain, but they are slow and can be damaged." He turned away from the group to face the approaching golems. "Hiram!" he yelled. "Have your Stand shield us if we're about to get hit, but don't overexert yourself. Everyone else, pick a golem and destroy it! Target their limbs; if they can't move they can't fight!"

As the rest of the group split off, Joshua found himself facing the giant missing half of its head. "Alright," he said, as Imagine Dragons flexed its claws beside him. "Let's finish this."

The giant reacted as Joshua ran toward it, rising up and swinging one of its arms down again. Joshua didn't try to dodge the arm; instead he continued to run forward. With Imagine Dragons launching a fireball at an especially thin-looking section of its arm. The arm exploded, and the broken limb fell behind Joshua as he approached the giant's leg.

" **GRAAA**!" With a swipe of its claws, Imagine Dragons broke a large chunk of clay off of the giant's leg. The scaly Stand continued to hack at the leg, until the rest of it crumbled under its own weight. The giant collapsed, with chunks of its body breaking off. It attempted to stand again with its other arm, but Imagine Dragons cut it off at the elbow with a single slash. Falling to the ground one final time, the giant's body broke apart into several large lumps of clay.

Looking up from the destroyed giant, Joshua saw that Stan and Alexa had each defeated a giant as well, while Daniel had already moved on and sent Sabaton flying toward the final giant. "These guys aren't so tough after all!" He called as Sabaton kicked a large hole in the giant's chest. The giant attempted to slam the longer of its mismatched arms into Sabaton, but the pink Stand disappeared. Sabaton reappeared behind the giant's head, striking it and sending the giant toppling against the ground, where it smashed into pieces. "Those were the weakest enemy Stands I've ever fought!"

Stan shook his head. "Those things...they were probably were created by a Stand, but those weren't Stands themselves. If they were, they would've been affected by Birdhouse in Your Soul's fear gaze. As things are, our opponent's attack may have only just begun." "Well, we know where this goon is hiding," Daniel said, as he began to run toward the house, "so let's go get him before he makes any more big goons!"

"Umm, Mr. Istanbul?" Hiram said nervously. "If there are going to be more attacks, I'll need to conserve the use of Off the Wall's shield so I don't overexert my soul. So, umm…" he trailed off, turning his head toward Stan's car. Joshua noticed that Off the Wall's silver shield was still projected over the car.

Stan sighed, shaking his head. "Fine," he nearly groaned, "do what you have to do." "Okay," Hiram quietly responded. "Release." _CRUNCH!_ In an instant, the car's roof collapsed, blowing out the windows and setting off the car alarm. Stan raised a hand to his mouth, his eyes suddenly moist. "I hadn't even finished making payments," Joshua thought he heard Stan say under his breath.

"Ow! What the hell?!" Joshua looked over to see Daniel sitting on the sidewalk in front of the house, rubbing his nose. "Daniel? Are you okay?" Joshua asked.

"Aghh! No, I'm not. I ran into something and now I think my nose is bleeding." "Ran into something?" Alexa asked, walking up to Daniel. "What could you have run into? There's nothing…" She suddenly stopped, holding a palm out in front of her. "Huh. That's strange." She held out her other palm, and began to move them through the air like a mime. "Alexa? What are you doing?" Joshua asked.

"I think," Alexa responded, "there's an invisible wall here."

* * *

"They've discovered the barrier. Are you sure nothing can cross it?"

"Listen, man," Gary responded through the phone. "You're the one with the information Stand. What does Subdivisions say about their durability?"

 _The barriers of Limelight are the boundaries of its game. They cannot be harmed or passed through,_ wrote Subdivisions.

"Anyway, it would appear that my golems have lost," Gary said. "Did they manage to harm anyone?"

"Nope," Woods answered. "One of their Stands - Sabaton - took a hit, but Off the Wall had put a shield around it first. Off the Wall's user has had a small amount of damage done to his soul, but nothing significant."

"Hmm. Between this and the car, it seems like that shield of theirs is our biggest obstacle. Does your Stand have any suggestions for how to deal with it?"

Woods looked at the notes Subdivisions had written on the weaknesses of Off the Wall's shield. "Well, attacks absorbed by the shield damage the user's soul. If you send out enough golems we'll eventually wear him down."

"No good," Gary said. "It takes me a while to make these figures, and I'd prefer to use as few as possible. Anything else?"

"Well, let's see," Woods replied. "How about this? The shield is conductive."

"Meaning?"

"It can't block electrical attacks. They go right through it."

"Electricity, huh? Let's see here." Over the phone, Woods could hear Gary rummaging through the drawers where he kept all his figures. "Alright," Gary said. "I've got a couple good five-stars that will do the trick."

"Really?" Woods peeked out the window again. Despite what Subdivisions had written, the way they were messing with the barrier made him nervous. "They won't lose like the last golems did?"

"The modeling clay golems were only two-stars. These battery golems are five-stars, and that shield's weakness. In terms of strength, there's no contest; Limelight's figures will beat them."

* * *

"Well, what do you know," Stan said. "There really is an invisible wall here."

The five of them had moved the edge of the enemy Stand user's lawn, where the invisible wall apparently was. Joshua pushed his arm out, trying to move closer to the house; sure enough, an invisible resistance immediately stopped his arm.

Far above him, Sabaton hovered in the air, also prodding the wall. "Seems pretty high too," Daniel said. "Sabaton's at its limit and I can't find the top. It just seems to keep going forever." "What about you, Alexa?" Stan said to the girl, who was running up from the side yard to join them. "Any luck?" "No luck," Alexa replied. "The wall surrounds the entire house." "We couldn't find any cracks either," YMCA added.

"Fantastic," Daniel grumbled. "Not only is this goon completely unharmed, but he's protected by these invisible wells." "Hang on," Joshua said. "Daniel, can't Sabaton just teleport through the invisible wall?" "Well, yeah," Daniel said, rubbing his neck, "but Sabaton's power decreases the further away it gets from me. I'm not sure if sending it after the enemy at this range is safe."

"Guys? Something's happening to the broken pieces," Hiram said. As he spoke, the pieces of the giants began to float in the air, before rocketing away from the house. "Curiouser and curiouser," Stan said as the pieces disappeared in the distance. The neighborhood was once again silent, albeit much more damaged than it had been before. "So what happens now?" Hiram asked. "I don't know," Joshua said cautiously. "Probably more giants fall from the sky and attack us."

No sooner had he said this when two large figure landed in the middle of the road. They seemed to be smaller than the clay giants, though they still towered over Joshua and the others. Their bodies were cylindrical and metal, and they didn't seem to have a head, with only a small round stub sticking out of their torso. Their arms and legs were thick and colored bright red, seemingly made of a mass of thin tubes. They had brown metallic hands - no, they weren't really hands so much as they were a tangled mess of thin claws. A deep humming sound seemed to emanate from within them.

"More big goons? Fine! We'll take them down no problem!" Daniel said, as Sabaton appeared in front of one of the giants. " **EEEEEEAAAAHH!** " It screeched as it wailed on the giant's silver body, but to no effect; Sabaton's fists didn't seem to even dent the giant. "Crap!" Daniel swore.

"Daniel! Look out!" Hiram yelled as Off the Wall's shield appeared over Sabaton. "Crap!" Daniel swore again, as Sabaton barely dodged the giant's lightning-fast strike. "These things are much faster!" As he said this, the giant's other arm caught Sabaton right at the spot it had teleported to and-

 _KRACK!_ There was a flash of light, and Sabaton and Daniel were blasted back into the invisible wall. "Daniel!" Hiram worriedly called. Shakily, Daniel stood up, coughing. His hair was sticking up in all directions, as if he had rubbed a balloon on it, and one of his shoes had been blown off. "What the hell, Hiram?!" He said angrily. "I thought you were shielding me?!"

"I was, I swear!" Hiram said. "I don't know how it happened, but the attack went through the shield." "So, these things are tougher, faster, stronger, and their attacks ignore Hiram's shield?" Alexa asked incredulously. "And there are two of them?" As she spoke, the giants rose their arms over their heads, and a large, crackling ball of electricity appeared between their hands.

"Yeah," Joshua said. "And they can do that."

 **-To Be Continued- The Most Dangerous Game (Act 3)**

* * *

 **Stand User: Gary Patton**

 **Stand Name: [Limelight]**

 **Power: D**

 **Speed: C**

 **Range: A**

 **Durability: C**

 **Precision: B**

 **Developmental Potential: A**

 **Game Creation: Once the location and number of nearby enemies is entered into Limelight's system, its ability activates. While Limelight is active, the area around the enemies becomes linked to Limelight's grid. Handcrafted figures placed on this grid cause giant monsters of similar structure to appear in the surrounding area; however, these figures all have a cost which correlates to their strength, and the total cost of figures on the grid cannot exceed the cost set by Limelight. In addition, should the monsters be destroyed, their corresponding figures are also destroyed. Clear panels can also be placed on the grid to create invisible walls, at no cost, but these walls cannot completely block the path to Limelight or completely surround the enemies. The enemies' locations must be continually updated to keep Limelight accurate, and Limelight can only focus on one group of enemies at a time.**


	20. The Most Dangerous Game (Act 3)

"That's...electricity, isn't it?"

Hiram's quiet words felt like an understatement to Joshua. The glowing, crackling balls that had appeared over the heads of the new giants weren't just electricity: they were a lightning strike, or perhaps even an entire power plant, condensed into a sphere the size of a man. Staring at them, Joshua knew for sure that if they hit him, he would be dead before he hit the ground. He felt it deep in his gut - the same feeling that one has when they encounter a tiger in the wild, or when they are trapped in a collapsing building.

The feeling of imminent death.

Instantly, he snapped himself out of his paralysis. The giants hadn't thrown their balls yet, but it wouldn't be long before they did. Joshua needed to find cover and fast. Off the Wall's shield couldn't help - even if it could block the giants' attacks, Joshua wasn't sure that Hiram would be able to take the strain. They couldn't rely on dodging the balls of electricity either, not with how fast the giants seemed to be. He looked around the street, trying to find something that they could use for cover. A tree? Stan's now destroyed truck? One of the other houses on the block? There didn't seem to be anything big enough, or study enough, to protect them.

 _No, that's not right_ , Joshua thought as he looked at the ground. It was a stretch, but there was something they could use for cover - but he had to be fast. With a call of " **[Imagine Dragons]**!" his Stand emerged from beside him and let out a roar of blisteringly hot fire straight toward the ground.

"Joshua? What are you doing?" Stan asked. "Asphalt's an insulator, right? Like rubber?" Joshua quickly explained. "If Imagine Dragons can melt enough road, I might be able to create an insulated bunker that we can take cover in! Hiram, can Off the Wall's shield cover liquids? Or almost liquids?" he suddenly asked.

"I-I've never tried," Hiram stammered. "But I don't see why it couldn't." "Okay," Joshua said. "Everyone, get close to me. Alexa, I'll need your Stand for this as well."

Out of breath, Imagine Dragons stopped its fire breath. The road in front of it was now a blackened, bubbling - but rapidly cooling - puddle of asphalt. "Alright, Hiram, put a shield over that asphalt!" " **[Off the Wall]**!" Hiram yelled, and the Stand's shield appeared over the puddle. _Okay, now for the tricky part,_ Joshua thought. Imagine Dragons bent over, reached into the puddle, and pulled the liquid asphalt out.

The asphalt was devastatingly hot, even through Off the Wall's shield, but Imagine Dragons' thick scales protected Joshua from most of the heat. The asphalt stretched as it was pulled, elongating like some kind of thick black taffy as it flew over Joshua and the rest of the group. "Alexa-" he began to say, but was interrupted when she said, "I got it. You want YMCA to cool the asphalt down like it did the water in the pipe, right?"

"And I am perfectly capable of that, mistress!" YMCA proudly said, striking the shielded asphalt overhead with its fist. As the ends of the asphalt fell to the ground, it cooled and hardened, until a solid dome of asphalt had formed over the group. "Now, Hiram, lower the shield for a second!" Joshua said. The silver shield faded, and Imagine Dragons punched a single claw through a low part of the dome, creating a small hole. "Now bring it up again!" he said, and the shield reappeared around the dome. _I just hope this works,_ he thought.

No sooner had Joshua had this thought when what sounded like a loud lightning strike came from just outside the dome. A second, similar sound followed soon afterward. Despite the obvious power behind the sounds, however, the dome didn't break apart. It didn't even shudder. _I was right,_ Joshua thought with relief. _Hiram's shield blocked the physical force of those balls, while the asphalt prevented the electricity from reaching us._ "We're safe," he said, turning to the others with a smile.

Stan wasn't smiling. "We may safe for now, but we're still trapped. Those monsters can keep taxing Hiram's shield until this hiding place breaks down, and meanwhile we have no idea what's happening out there." "Right," Joshua nodded. "Daniel, can you -"

"Already doing it," Daniel interrupted. He pointed up toward the dome's ceiling. "Sabaton is out there watching those goons." "What are they doing?" Hiram asked. "Are they charging another attack?"

Daniel shrugged. "No, it's weird. They've moved to the sidewalk away from the house, and now they're clawing at the ground. It's like they're digging for something." _Digging for something?_ Joshua thought. _For what?_ Suddenly it clicked. What the giants' bodies, which had seemed so familiar to Joshua, looked like came to him. "They're trying to reach the power line underground," he realized. "They're like batteries, so they must be trying to recharge."

'That would make sense, considering where they're digging," Stan said. "But what does that mean for us?" "If they're batteries, then there's two ways we could deal with them," Hiram said. "We could let them run out of power - which is unlikely- or we could try to overcharge them." "And how would we do that?" Daniel asked.

"I have an idea," Hiram said. "It's a little risky, but I think it's our best shot against these things." "Well, tell it to us quickly," Daniel said. "Because the goons have stopped digging."

* * *

The lights above Woods' head flickered briefly, before turning off completely. Looking outside, he could see the rest of the neighborhood had lost power as well. "Christ, Gary, did you have to choose such destructive golems?" he asked as he watched the giant batteries tear up the sidewalk. Smoke still wafted out of the demolished garage that a stray jolt of electricity had hit. "What will the neighbors think when they come home to find the entire block destroyed?"

"My golems have always done a bit of splash damage to the area they're in. You knew that when you called me," Gary blithely replied. "Besides, not _all_ of the damage is their fault. The new speed bump, for example…"

Woods didn't have any response to that. The massive dome in the middle of the road _had_ been a surprise, so out of left field that Subdivisions hadn't even sensed any intention to do so before it happened. Still, Woods could tell the blasts of electricity had badly damaged the dome, even through Off the Wall's shield, so they wouldn't be able to hide in there for long.

A sudden movement from the dome caught his eye. "Oh, hang on, they're moving!" he excitedly said to Gary. "They're running away!" "Oh, hell no! They won't get away that easily!" Gary responded. "Which way are they going? I'll send my golems after them!"

Subdivisions handed the piece of paper it had finished writing on to Woods. _They're heading to the main road,_ it read. _They have a plan to defeat the golems._ "Does that plan have any specifics?" Woods quickly asked.

Subdivisions blinked. "Too far away, then," Woods sighed. "Listen, Gary? I don't think you should pursue them. It seems like they're planning to lure your golems into a trap, and they're not close enough that Subdivisions can know what that trap is." "Oh, I'm not going to give up," Gary said. "Not while they still have the Fragment. Who cares if they want to destroy my golems? Let them try; even if they can take down these five-stars, I've got plenty more golems to overwhelm them with!"

Woods sighed. He should've known this would happen with Gary when he called him. The man was too stubbornly competitive; he might act all frugal with his golems at first, but after a certain point he'd always get too into his 'game' and would waste any number of golems trying to take down the enemy. _Well, it's not like we're in any trouble should the golems lose,_ Woods thought. _With the barriers protecting us, the only casualties would be Gary's golems. If he's willing to waste them, then..._ "They're headed east, toward the main road," he said through the phone. "You know where that is, don't you?"

* * *

"It's working!" Daniel called as he ran. "The goons are chasing us!"

 _They sure are,_ Joshua thought. For having such big bodies on top of their thin, wiry legs, the giant batteries could move surprisingly quickly. Despite the fact that they seemed to have waited to fully recharge before chasing after them, the giants had now almost caught up with the group. Joshua and the others could barely run fast enough to outpace them, while the giants showed no sign of slowing down. It didn't help that the enemy Stand user's house was deep within the suburbs; even running at top speed, it would be at least five minutes before they would reach a main road. _At least they don't seem to be able to charge that electricity ball while they're moving._

Finally, with lungs on fire, Joshua spotted what they were looking for: a road with utility poles running alongside it. "We're almost there, guys!" Daniel, who somehow had barely broken a sweat, excitedly yelled. "Just a little further!" Thankfully, though some cars had occasionally driven across the street when Joshua first spotted them, the road was empty with no cars in sight when he got to them. _It's just as well,_ Joshua thought as he ran across the road. _No need to involve innocent people in this. There'd be a panic about these giants, if they're even able to be seen in the first place._

Running underneath the utility pole, Joshua was at last able to stop and catch his breath. Stan heavily panted beside him, and Hiram seemed to be basically dry heaving, while Daniel and Alexa seemed to barely be winded at all. "This plan…better work...or else…" Stan said between large breaths.

"Don't worry," Daniel said, watching the giants run toward them. "It pretty much already has. **[Sabaton]**!" he yelled, and at the same time Alexa yelled " **[YMCA]**!" Sabaton appeared behind the head of the closer of the giants, while YMCA rushed forward and tackled one of its legs. The two Stands' attacks, combined with the momentum it already had, sent it tumbling toward the wires between the utility poles. Just before it crashed into the wires, a silver shield - courtesy of a still heaving Hiram's Off the Wall - appeared over them. The wires held together as the giant crashed into them - but the giant did not.

A great, thunderous crack of what almost sounded like lightning filled the air. Streaks of energy ran through the giant's body, starting at the top of its 'head' - the point where it had touched the utility wires. It shuddered once, very briefly, and then burst apart, collapsing into a heap of metal, wires, and sludge. The other giant didn't even pause at its fallen comrade, instead continuing to run directly toward the group.

"Our turn next then, Stan!" Joshua called, as Imagine Dragons dashed behind the second giant. As Imagine Dragons rammed the giant's back, Birdhouse in Your Soul shot its claws into the giant's body and pulled. The second giant was also pulled into the utility wires, and exploded just like the first, overloaded by the sudden burst of electricity.

"And another goon bites the dust!" Daniel called, pumping his fist. He started to run toward the smoking piles of rubble, only to come to a sudden halt as he was grabbed by Stan. "Hold on," Stan said, "we're not out of danger yet. Look at the road." Beneath the smoldering rubble, the pavement seemed to be bubbling and turning into goo. "It's like acid," Alexa said. "Battery acid?"

Joshua almost felt like laughing.

"Just hang tight for a minute," Stan said, staring at the rubble. No one moved, or even spoke; they all stared at the destroyed giants, as if trying to figure out what Stan was so intensely focused on. Joshua noticed that some of Birdhouse in Your Soul's claws were still embedded in a piece of scrap. "Um, Stan, what-"

"Shh!" Stan quickly cut Joshua off, continuing to intensely watch the piles of rubble. "I'm going fishing." "Fishing?" Joshua said, confused.

Just as suddenly as the pieces of the clay giants had, the piles of rubble, acid and all, floated off the ground and flew away. Only a single piece remained: the scrap the Birdhouse in Your Soul's claws had stuck to, held tight in the air between whatever invisible force pulled it away and the taut strings of the purple Stand.

Stan smiled, the same smile that he had given Daniel and Joshua while he was fighting them. "Got a bite," he said. "I thought something had felt off." He turned to the rest of the group. "We're not dealing with one enemy Stand user here. We're dealing with two."

 **-To Be Continued- The Most Dangerous Game (Act 4)**


	21. The Most Dangerous Game (Act 4)

Gary was puzzled. It wasn't just that his five-star golems had suddenly fallen to pieces - a damn shame, but not entirely unexpected. No, what puzzled him was, when he tried to brush the golems' pieces off of Limelight, one piece had stubbornly clung to the table. "Come on, you're not even stuck to anything," he muttered as he pinched the small piece between two fingers, trying to yank it off. "Why won't you move?"

A buzzing sound momentarily distracted him, and he looked over to see his phone vibrating on the side of the table. _That's strange,_ he thought as he picked up the phone and held it to his ear. _I thought I turned the vibration function off._

"PATTON!" Woods roared through the phone. _Ah,_ Gary thought to himself, _that's it. It wasn't the vibration function; it was Wilson._ Out loud, he asked, "What is it, Woods?"

"Stop whatever you're doing right now!" Woods shouted in a panicked voice. "Stop trying to pull the pieces of the golems off of Limelight!" "Oh yeah, I wanted to ask you about that," Gary said nonchalantly, continuing to try to pull the battery piece off of Limelight. "One of the pieces won't move, even though it isn't stuck to anything. Do you have any idea why that is?"

"I told you to stop pulling it!" Woods shouted, even more terrified than before. "One of their Stands hooked itself to that piece. They're using it to discover your location! Listen, Gary, they know that they're fighting more than one Stand user!"

* * *

"We're fighting more than one Stand user?" Daniel asked.

"That's right," Stan answered. He turned back to Birdhouse in Your Soul, which continued to pull tightly on the piece of the giant. "I had my suspicions when the first golems disappeared, but now I'm sure." He pointed toward the direction the group had come from. "See, the enemy Stand user inside their house is in that direction. But that's not where the enemy Stand user who's behind these golems is. That person is," he moved his finger until he was pointing in the same direction as the piece of the giant was trying to move, "this way."

"So what you're saying is, we should be going after that goon instead!" Daniel exclaimed. "Maybe," Stan replied. "We definitely need to deal with them, yes. But we shouldn't let the Stand user inside the house get away either." So we split up, then," Joshua said. "Daniel and Stan go back to the house and try to find some way around those invisible walls, and the rest of us will-"

 _SNAP!_ Joshua was interrupted by the sound of the tendons attached to Birdhouse in Your Soul's claws snapping like rubber bands, sending the piece of the giant rocketing away from the group. "Follow that piece!" he finished, chasing after it.

* * *

"What am I gonna do?" Gary moaned over the phone. "If they know where I am, then that's it. It's over for me!" "Calm down, Gary," Woods said, even as he was feeling very far from calm himself. "Can't you just put more barriers around yourself?"

"You've got the information Stand," Gary groaned, sounding as if he was almost in tears. "Why don't you tell me if I can put more barriers around myself." Before Subdivisions could even put pen to paper, Gary continued, "Limelight works by turning the world around it into a game, where the object is for the players - the enemies - to reach me without dying. That objective has to be possible for the game to work, so if I surround myself with barriers, the game will shut down. Until now, I've had no problem with that rule, since none of the previous players even realized what the goal was, but now that they're after me…" An edge of panic crept into his voice. "I need to get out of here - need to pack up and run before they reach me!"

"You can't!" Woods shouted before Gary could hang up. "I'm still one of their targets, remember? If you run, then I'm gonna get captured!" _I should've fled the house earlier, but now..._ "You have to defeat them! At least kill the two going after me before you run!" "Are you kidding me?" Gary said incredulously. "I've barely got time to escape as it is, much less wait for a golem to defeat two-" He cut himself off suddenly, lost in thought. "Did you say there are two Stand users going after you?"

"Yes," Woods slowly responded, confused. "Then there only three enemies coming toward me?" "Yes," Woods responded again. Gary's laugh - a short, brutish laugh that started off slow but quickly got faster and louder until he was cackling - rang through the phone. "Perfect. Absolutely perfect!" Gary exclaimed. "Three of them. If there were four, it might get overwhelmed, and if there were two, the requirement cost would be too high, but if there's three-" He laughed again. "Where are they, Woods?" Gary asked, his panic now completely replaced by a maniacal fervor. "I'll deal with the Stand users targeting you in time. But first, I need to introduce the fools who are trying to approach me to the prize jewel of my collection - my _six-star_ …"

* * *

"Hey, Joshua?" Hiram panted. "How much further away do you think this Stand user is?" "They can't be too much further away," Joshua said, slowing down, "if what you said about the range of Stands is right. Are you alright?" Joshua, Hiram, and Alexa had followed the piece of the giant as it flew away, and even though it had quickly outsped them and disappeared from their sight, they had continued to run in that direction it flew. Currently that path had led them into a small patch of woods in the suburbs; Joshua could see a row of backyards not too far away from him.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Hiram said, leaning against a tree. "Just...having so many shields active, and all the running we've been doing, I think I just need a little break." "A little break?" Alexa said. "You can take a break if you want, but Joshua and I need to keep moving, before another golem attacks us."

Just as Alexa said that, a very large black figure came crashing through the trees, breaking off branches and even felling one before landing on the ground with a heavy thump. Joshua stared at the black figure as it rose; this giant was larger and taller than any other giant before it, towering at least twenty feet tall. Its arms, legs, and for some reason its head were long and spindly, and its limbs seemed to be incredibly flexible as they moved about, knocking down nearby trees. It was completely black and featureless, and at first Joshua couldn't even tell if it was facing forward or backward. As he considered this, the giant suddenly lurched forward, whipping on of its long arms down upon Alexa. " **[Off the Wall]**!" Hiram called, and a silver sheen appeared over Alexa just before the arm crashed into her. Absorbing the force of the giant, the silver screen around Alexa faded as she leapt backward out of the giant's reach. "Great," she muttered. "I just had to say something."

Joshua wasted no time making a counterattack. In a flash, Imagine Dragons was out and at his side, and he raced forward, his Stand slashing into the black giant's arm. Or through it, as Imagine Dragons' claws did through the suddenly translucent arm, without seeming to damage the giant at all. Just as Imagine Dragons finished passing through it, the arm turned solid black again and slammed itself into Joshua.

Joshua flew backward, slamming into a tree; his head pounded in pain, and he could feel a warm trickle of blood running down the back of his neck. Off to his side, he could see Hiram leaning against a tree, looking as though he was about to vomit. In front of him, he saw Alexa barely dodge another lash of the giant's arm. YMCA attempted to land a chop on the giant, but its arm went through the giant's body just as Imagine Dragons' attack did. Right before the giant's long leg could kick the stumbling Stand, Off the Wall's silver shield flew over it; Hiram nearly fell over when the leg hit the shield, and the shield itself flickered and faded. As Joshua watched this scene unfold, a though crossed his mind:

 _How can this thing be solid one moment and intangible the next?_

The first giants had been made out of clay. The second pair of giants were batteries; they could use the electricity within them, but couldn't generate electricity on their own. All the giants so far had been physical objects, just giant and with some sort of sentience. In other words, there had to be some physical reason why this giant could turn intangible. Joshua watched the giant's long head slump as it moved forward, turning translucent as it brushed against the treetops. Then, for a single moment, he could see something. It wasn't much - and maybe he had imagined it - but for a moment, an explanation appeared to him.

He knew how he could draw it out, prove it was the correct explanation. And then he knew how to exploit it as a weakness.

"Hiram," Joshua called as he got to his feet. "I can't protect you anymore, Joshua," Hiram responded feebly, lying against the tree while Alexa and YMCA stood in front of him defensively. "If I use my shield anymore I'll collapse."

"That's fine, Hiram," Joshua said, as Imagine Dragons emerged to his side. "Actually, I was going to tell you not to use your shield on me." "What?" Hiram asked, too tired to truly be confused. "Alexa, if this works I'll need YMCA's help," Joshua continued unwaveringly. "You'll know what to do when you see it. Just be prepared." _Okay,_ he thought, _this is probably going to hurt. I just hope I don't die._ And he charged at the giant.

Despite lacking eyes (or any features at all, really), the black giant responded immediately to Joshua's charge by whipping one of its arms out toward his Imagine Dragons' side. _Yeah, this is really going to suck,_ Joshua thought. Just as the arm crashed into Imagine Dragons, the green Stand tensed, slightly lifting the tough scales across its body.

Joshua was lifted off his feet by the giant's swipe, flying several feet before crashing to the ground. But despite a mouth full of dirt and an arm bloody with fresh scrapes, Joshua had to smile as he got to his feet. _I was right. It worked._ He raised an arm in victory, and Imagine Dragons mimicked his movements. The arm Imagine Dragons raised - the same arm that the black giant had struck directly - now had several taut black cords snagged onto its scales.

"These giants are made by a Stand user," Joshua said, "but they're not Stands. They're made of actual, physical objects - in this case, tightly wrapped thin plastic cord. That's how it becomes intangible: all it has to do is adjust the density of those cords, and it will seem like the attacks just go through it. When you're made up thousands upon thousands of wires, it doesn't matter if one or two get cut. But that we've taken hold of some of those cords - cords it can't turn intangible - we can defeat it."

"We certainly can, can't we, mistress?" YMCA exclaimed as Alexa moved to Joshua side. "Absolutely, we can," Alexa responded. "Cutting one or two strings doesn't matter. But if the forces of tension in the golem are disrupted first…" YMCA pounded its golden fist into one of the cords, and a sort of shockwave traveled up the cord into the black giant. The cords that made up the giant loosened, and the giant's limbs seemed to sag and flop on the ground. "Well, I'll let you deal the final blow," Alexa said to Joshua.

Imagine Dragons pressed its claws into the cords in its scales, cutting them one by one. As it pressed against the final cord, Joshua asked the now rather pathetic-looking giant, "Any last words?" The giant made no sound in response. "Didn't think so."

 _Snip._ The giant collapsed into a loose pile of black cords.

"We did it," Hiram said exhaustedly. "We beat it." "Almost," Joshua said, staring at the pile. "There's still one more thing I wanna do."

* * *

"Damn it. Damn it. _Damn it!_ " Gary swore, pounding his fist against the table. "How could my six-star lose! It was made to be impossible to touch, much less destroy!"

"Gary, are you still there?!" Woods yelled through the phone. "Don't you dare shut off Limelight right now! The enemy is outside my house, and I need those barriers to stay up!" "Don't worry, don't worry," Gary said as he regretfully picked up the pile of plastic lacing that had once been his strongest golem. Though those brats had once again destroyed a powerful and difficult to recreate golem, he wasn't planning to accept defeat so soon. "I've got a backup plan - _Yeowch!_ " he cried as he threw aside the suddenly burning hot cords. "Those damn brats! One of them must have set fire to the golem's remains!"

"Don't you dare panic!" a panicking Woods bellowed. "Don't abandon your station. I need those barriers around my house!" "Calm down, Woods," Gary said, clutching his hand in pain. "Fuck, this is going to blister. Anyway, like I said, I have a backup plan. They're tracking me because of how I move the golems off of Limelight, right? Well, this time I'm ahead of them. I moved the remains of my lacing golem off in a different direction!

"Really? That will work?" Woods asked. "Of course it will!" Gary exclaimed. "I'll have them running around lost, with golem after golem sent out at them until they're beaten, and all the while they'll never get any closer to me!" "Are you sure, Gary?" Woods asked. "Are you really sure you moved the pieces off in a different direction?" "Of course I'm sure!" Gary said, wiping his brow. Was it his imagination, or was the air around him suddenly getting hotter? There was a strange smell in the air too. "Why?"

"Because the enemy is still heading straight toward you."

"What?! How?!" Gary cried, leaping up from the table. "I'm sure I threw the cords away from me. How could they still-" His eyes drifted to the ground. "Shit!" A small fire burned on the lawn where the cords had fallen. The strange smell, Gary realized, was the dark smoke that rose from the fire into the sky. "They can see the smoke from the fire they started next to me! They know exactly where I am!"

"Put it out then, quickly!" Woods yelled. "Summon more golems! Just don't give up, whatever you do!" But it was too late. Woods was yelling at nothing; Gary had already fled, leaving Limelight, his figures, and even his phone behind.

 _Shit! Shit!_ Gary thought, running as fast as his portly legs could carry him. _Screw Woods! Screw my Stand! It doesn't matter if I don't get the Fragment back anymore; as long as I can escape, I still win. I'm Gary fucking Patton, strategic mastermind of the Cobalt Order, and nothing is going to bring me down-_

His thoughts were interrupted as something small and brown suddenly appeared underneath his feet, sending him crashing to the ground. "Oww...what the fuck was that?" Gary said, as he looked up to see the same dog he had kicked out of the lawn growling at him. Behind that mutt, several much larger dogs also faced him, growling. "Err…" Gary said meekly. "Nice doggies?"

 **Gary Patton - Retired!**

 **-To Be Continued- Where Do We Go? (Act 1)**

* * *

 **Stand User: Alexa Hamilton**

 **Stand Name: [YMCA]**

 **Power: A**

 **Speed: B**

 **Range: C**

 **Durability: C**

 **Precision: C**

 **Developmental Potential: B**

 **Force Cancel: YMCA can reduce, or even completely negate, the forces of or impacting anything it touches, including itself. If it is a constant force (such as gravity) this negation lasts until YMCA chooses to release the force onto the object. However, YMCA can only cancel the force of one thing at a time, and cannot attack or defend while it is negating a force.**


	22. Where Do We Go? (Act 1)

"Gary? Gary?!" Woods yelled into his phone. "Goddammit!" He threw his phone on the ground, not even bothering to hang up, and collapsed into a nearby chair with his head in his hands. _Gary's not answering,_ he thought _, so either he's been defeated or he ran away. Either way, the barrier surrounding my house is definitely gone. Damn it, what do I do now?_ Something light tapped his leg, and Woods quickly grabbed the piece of paper Subdivisions had been holding out. _Subdivisions wrote something - what is it? A status update? New information about the enemy? A plan?_ Subdivisions' primary function may have been creating profiles on people, but that didn't mean it couldn't create a plan based on that information from time to time. Maybe there was a way out of this after all…

 _Look up,_ the paper read. _Look up?_ Woods thought, confused. _That's easily the least descriptive thing Subdivisions has ever written._ "Hey Subdivisions, what do you mean by look…up…" Woods said, his confusion turning into terror as he stared into a pair of gleaming blue eyes. "Subdivisions. Is that the name of your Stand?" said a deep voice from somewhere behind the glowing eyes that Woods couldn't see. Woods couldn't see anything but the eyes. The last thought he had was how, even though he was screaming, no sound seemed to be coming out of his mouth.

"Well, shoot," Daniel said, watching as the enemy Stand user collapsed to the floor. By his side, the strange yellow Stand that Sabaton had been throttling faded from existence. "What did you do to that goon, Stan?" "Birdhouse in Your Soul's fear gaze caused his body to shut down out of fright," Stan replied, crossing his arms. "It happens sometimes when the fear gaze is used on weaker-minded people."

"Oh. Sick," Daniel said. A second passed, and his eyes narrowed. "Wait. If his body is shut down, how are we supposed to get any information about the Cobalt Order out of him?" "Indeed," Stan agreed glumly. "It will be at least 24 hours before he wakes up. I highly doubt the Cobalt Order will allow us to wait that long."

"Hear that, Hiram?" Daniel said into the phone Stan had lent him. "The goon on our end can't talk. What about the goon on yours?" "No luck here either, Daniel," Hiram regretfully replied. "All we've found is another puddle of green slime. It looks like the other Stand user managed to escape."

"Well, shit," Daniel said. "Where do we go now?" Stan was about to reply when, from downstairs, the doorbell suddenly rang.

* * *

"What did Daniel say they found at the house?" Alexa asked as she ran. Joshua shook his head. "He didn't. All he texted was to come back to the house, and that he and Stan have a way to get to the Cobalt Order's base."

"But he didn't mention what that way was."

"No."

"Or anything about the situation over there, or why he suddenly hung up."

"No."

"And we're okay with that?"

"I mean…" Joshua trailed off. He did remember how Daniel's oblivious nature had somewhat stunned him at first as well; Alexa's uncertainty probably came from a similar place. "That's just the kind of person Daniel is. You get used to it. He's a quick enough thinker that even with his recklessness, things end up working out."

"Most of the time," Alexa repeated cynically. "And then the other times, he's knocked out by gas or transported to Ohio." "That's…harsh…" Hiram panted. "But…fair…" Joshua felt sorry for Hiram; the poor kid had probably never had to run so much in his life. "Either way," Joshua continued, "we're about to find out."

As they turned onto the street, damage from the golems still freshly visible, Joshua saw Stan standing in front of the house with Birdhouse in Your Soul at his side. Next to them, with the cords of Birdhouse in Your Soul's claws tightly wrapped around it, was a Stand Joshua had never seen before.

It was bright red, and while its body seemed humanoid, there was something slightly off in its proportions. Its torso was a little too thin, its muscular legs a little too long, and its head a little too spherical to match an ordinary person's. It looked like something that had tried to imitate a human shape, but couldn't quite perfect it, and its true nature peeked through those cracks. It creeped Joshua out, and his disconcertment only grew as it turned to face him. The red Stand had a wide grin full of ordinary, if slightly large and very shiny, teeth, but the rest of its face was blank - it had no nose or eyes.

"Hello!" Stan said cheerfully as he saw them approach the house. "This is Rednex. He's going to take us to the Cobalt Order."

"I am **[Rednex]** ," the red Stand said in a clipped, formal voice, still grinning wildly. "I am a messenger Stand. Do you have any orders for me?"

"What's going on, Stan?" Joshua asked. "What is this Stand? Where did it come from?" He looked around. "Where's Daniel?"

"I am **[Rednex]** ," the red Stand said again. "I am a messenger Stand." "Yes, yes, he heard you already," Stan said, as Birdhouse in Your Soul knocked Rednex on the head. "Rednex is what seems to be an automatic Stand that the Cobalt Order uses as a messenger. I've actually met it before, when it gave me the order to track you down. It came to this house to pick up the profiles that the Stand user inside creates, and Daniel and I captured it."

"I am a messenger Stand," Rednex said, its grin turning sheepish. "I am not a fighting Stand. I surrender."

"And where's Daniel?" Hiram asked. "He's gone to get his car," Stan answered. "With my truck, ah, destroyed," he said as he glanced morosely as the pile of scrap, "we'll have to use Daniel's car to get to the Cobalt Order's base. Rednex is going to direct us there."

"Why do we need it to direct us?" Alexa asked. "That seems like it will just cause more trouble. Shouldn't we just get it to tell us the location?" Rednex rapidly shook its head. "I cannot | tell us the location," it said. Right after the 'cannot', it's voice changed from its formal accent to a perfect imitation of Alexa's voice.

"Rednex can only repeat what it's told, it seems," Stan explained. "It knows how to get to the Cobalt Order base, but it's never been told those directions. So…" "I cannot | tell us the location. I can | direct us there," Rednex finished, its voice shifting between Alexa's, Stan's and the formal accent.

"But how can we trust it?" Alexa asked. "How do we know it won't alert its user, or lead us into an ambush?" "It should not be able to," Stan replied. "Long range Stands like this one generally work without a direct connection to their user. The Cobalt Order should have no idea that Rednex has been captured. As for leading us in the wrong direction…" Birdhouse in Your Soul twisted its hand, tightening the cords around Rednex. "With my Stand's claws embedded in Rednex like this, I can detect whether it's lying through the changes in its body. Heartbeat, sweat, that sort of thing."

 _Stands sweat?_ Joshua thought. That didn't sound right, but he supposed Stan would know more about Stands than him. Before he could say anything, he heard the loud honk of a car horn, and looked over to see Daniel turn the corner in...well, he supposed it was a car. It was an old, small, beat-up Ford that had probably once been white in color, but had since faded into a sad shade of light gray. Black spray paint reading "CLUNKER - FOR SALE $3000" was still faintly visible on the hood, even though it seemed to have been painted over with white paint. The window rolled down with what Joshua hoped wasn't a creak, and Daniel poked his head out, an excited smile on his face. "Oh good, you guys are here now," he said. "Let's go to the goons' head base!"

"I'm sorry," Stan said, barely keeping the disgust out of his voice, "but when you said you had a car, is this what you meant?" "Yep!" Daniel grinned. "This is my car! It belongs to me and me alone. I paid for it myself too!" He fondly patted the side of the car. "I know it doesn't look like much, but this thing's more reliable than that geyser in Yellowstone! Now, c'mon, let's go smash some goons!" He pointed to the back seats. "Hiram gets shotgun, of course, so the rest of you pile in the back."

Rednex started to twist its body, pulling the cords. When Stan looked over at it, it stopped struggling and faced him, but made no sound. "I get it," he said. "You're worried about what happens if it crashes." "What happens if it crashes," Rednex echoed back in Stan's voice. "I have the same concerns," Stan said, looking back toward Daniel. "Relax," Daniel replied. "I know I have a reputation for being reckless, but I'm actually a really safe driver, I promise!" "Besides," he said as he turned away from the group, mumbling into the steering wheel, "I can't afford any more penalties on my license anyway." "If that's the case, then no," Stan said firmly. "I will drive. You can take shotgun."

The inside of the car was somehow more cramped than the outside had made it seem, though that may have been because the back seats had been filled with three people - and one red Stand, although Rednex had been made to sit on the floor. "What if it crashes," it asked again, clearly nervous despite its smile and the calm tone Stan had used. "Don't worry," Stan said. "It's not like your destruction would hurt your user at all." Stan had recalled all of Birdhouse in Your Soul into his body, except for the claws that bound Rednex; Joshua didn't know how the large Stand would even fit into the car otherwise. With everyone having piled into the car, the engine sputtered and groaned for a few seconds before starting up, and they were off.

"Alright, Rednex," Stan said. "You may not be able to say the location of your base, but you can at least say left and right, yes?" "Left," Rednex repeated in Stan's voice. "Right." "Good, then," Stan said. "Whenever we need to turn left or right, you say so." Having reached the end of the block, the car stopped in front of an intersection. "Left," said Rednex, and the car turned left. "Left," it said again at the next intersection, and then, "Left," at the one after that.

When Redsex said "Left," once more at the next intersection, Stan stopped the car and turned around in his seat. "Very funny," he said, as the purple arm of Birdhouse in Your Soul tightened Rednex's bindings once again. "Now tell us the real directions, or my Stand's next claw is going in your eye." "I am a Stand of the Cobalt Order," Rednex said in its original eloquent voice, grinning. "Don't blame | the messenger. | Right," it finished in Stan's voice, and with a huff Stan turned back around and continued driving.

After a few minutes of following Rednex's now presumably correct directions, the car had left the suburbs and was now turning onto the highway. Silence had filled the car, when Daniel suddenly said, "So, when we get there, we storm the place and take all of them out before they even realize we're here, right?"

"What are you talking about?" Stan asked, not even turning to look at Daniel. "I already told you, all we're doing right now is finding their base and maybe examining its outside defences. Reconnaissance, yes? If everything goes well, they'll have no idea we were even there. Then we'll go back to that profile maker's house, see if there's anything new we can learn about the Cobalt Order."

"But that's lame!" Daniel responded. "We're just gonna let drive by those goons without doing anything? We shouldn't have to wait to bust this whole stupid thing down!"

"We have no idea how many Stand users are at their base, nor do we know what their abilities are," Stan said, frustration mounting in his voice. "If we rush in with no plan, we're basically asking them to kill and capture us. I'd think you would understand this concept by now." "C'mon, we don't need a plan," Daniel said belligerently. "The five of us can take down any Stand user no problem."

Joshua frowned. He knew Daniel had a tendency to be reckless, but he wasn't usually opposed to at least creating a plan first. "Daniel, are you feeling okay?" he asked worriedly. "Yeah, I'm fine," Daniel drawled, "I'm just tired of being told what to do by cowards who can't act without a 12-step plan guiding them!" "That's it!" Stan yelled, his hand pounding on the steering wheel as he furiously whirled his head toward Daniel. "Listen to me, you little-"

"Mr. Istanbul! The lights!" Hiram cried. Quickly turning back to face the road, Stan slammed on the car's brakes, sending it to a screeching halt and barely avoiding running a red light into traffic. "What are you doing, Daniel?" Alexa said angrily. "You almost made Stan crash the car." "Daniel, why are you acting so rude?" Hiram asked.

Daniel turned around, a confused look on his face as he took an earbud out of his ear. "Huh? What are you guys talking about? I didn't say anything." "What?" Joshua said. "But if you weren't saying anything, then who was…" he trailed off, as the five of them all turned to stare at Rednex.

"Heh heh heh. So you figured it out," said Daniel. No, not Daniel - it was a voice that sounded exactly like Daniel, coming from the direction of Daniel, but it wasn't Daniel speaking. "Rednex!" Stan shouted, as Birdhouse in Your Soul's arm pulled the cords that bound the red Stand, forcing it to sit up straight. "You lied to us!"

"I didn't | lied to us," Rednex said, its grin more malicious than ever. "All I did was not tell you about my full powers," the voice that sounded like Daniel's said. "I am a messenger Stand," Rednex said, and the voice continued, "and ordinarily I can only mimic what I have heard. But when I get within a meter of another person, I can create and control a copy of their voice - and I can project that voice too, so it sounds like its coming from somewhere else."

"So you created a copy of Daniel's voice and acted rudely, hoping to distract Stan and make him crash," Joshua said. Rednex's grin somehow grew even wider. "I am a Stand of the Cobalt Order," it said. "Don't blame | the messenger."

"Well, whatever," Stan said. "That trick won't work on us again." The stoplight ahead turned green, and slowly the car began moving again. "Also, now that we know you can clearly say whatever you want," Stan continued, "you have no excuse not to tell us the full address of the Cobalt Order's base. I don't care whose voice you use - you can even use mine if you want - but you're going to tell us now."

Rednex opened its mouth, but before it could even say anything, something incredibly heavy crashed into the side of the car.

 **-To Be Continued- Where Do We Go? (Act 2)**


	23. Where Do We Go? (Act 2)

Joshua opened his eyes with a groan, picking his head up from the car window. He felt a dull pain in his elbow, and he looked over to see Hiram's head pressing against it, having accidentally headbutted it during the impact. Beyond him, Joshua could see Alexa also dazedly sitting up.

"Is everyone back there alright?" Stan asked worriedly. "I think so," Joshua said, as Hiram removed his head from Joshua's arm. "What happened?" "I don't know," Stan admitted, as Birdhouse in Your Soul's arm pulled the collapsed Rednex upright. "It felt like something crashed into the side of the car. Whatever it was, it better not have been your fault," he said to Rednex.

Rednex shrugged its shoulders, still grinning despite how woozy it looked. "The car | crashes," it said. "Well, whatever," Stan responded. "It might just be nothing, but we can't ignore the possibility that this might be another enemy Stand attack. Get out of the car, and have your Stands at the ready."

"About that…" Alexa said, shaking the handle of the car door. "This door won't open." She peered through the severely cracked window - _it hadn't been cracked before,_ Joshua thought - and said, "It looks like it's too damaged to open."

"What?!" Daniel exclaimed. "Damage?! How bad is it?!" Before Alexa could respond, Daniel threw open the passenger door and leapt out of the car. "Daniel, wait-" Stan started to say, before shaking his head. "Oh, never mind. Everyone follow him out of the car, but don't let your guard down. As for _you,_ " he said to Rednex, pulling the Stand closer to him, "don't even try to escape. My Birdhouse in Your Soul will freeze you before you can take even ten steps."

Emerging from the car into the middle of the intersection, Joshua noticed a semi truck had crashed into a pole nearby. Traffic in every direction had stopped, with some cars honking their horns, and a crowd of onlookers had begun to form on the streets. As Joshua looked around, he realized that the car had somehow been pushed to face the opposite direction it had been driving in. As Joshua was considering this, he suddenly heard Daniel yell "Damn it!" and turned to look at the other side of the car.

Daniel's car may not have been very pretty to begin with, but at least it had been all in one piece with no major damage. The same could not be said of the car now: The back right side of the car had been nearly completely crumpled, with the back window partially shattered and the back right tire sticking out at an awkward angle. A few feet away, large fragments of red and white glass littered the road; Joshua realized they were the remains of the car's back right light. Daniel stood in front of the wreckage, an anguished expression on his face, holding out his hands as if not sure what to do with them. "I'm sorry, Daniel," Hiram said, approaching the stricken boy. "If I had seen it coming Off the Wall could've…"

Daniel shook his head with a peaceful half-smile, seemingly snapped out of his stupor. "It's okay, Hiram. It isn't your fault." His expression suddenly turned harsh, and he pointed a finger at the wrecked semi. "It's his!" He started to run toward the truck, shaking his fist and yelling "You stupid goon! What do you think you're doing, running a red light like that! I saved up for nearly a year to buy this car - don't think you won't be paying for these damages!"

"Excuse me, sir," Joshua heard a voice confidently say, and he looked over to see a police officer approaching Stan. Other police officers, Joshua noticed, had also appeared at the scene, with some beginning to redirect traffic and others moving toward the crashed semi. "Is everyone in your group alright?"

"We seem to be," Stan said, scratching his head. "Just little shaken is all. We were just driving when all of a sudden that truck crashed into us. "

"Well, it's certainly good that everyone's okay," the officer said calmly. "Don't worry. We'll make sure you all get taken care of. May I see your driver's license? We need to document this accident, after all." "Of course, of course," Stan said, reaching for the wallet in his back pocket. By his side, Joshua noticed Rednex's smile grow slightly wider.

"Attention all units," a voice that sounded exactly the police officer's said through the officer's radio. "Be advised that a large man named Constantine Istanbul is suspected of having kidnapped four teenagers, and is currently trying to flee the state. The suspect was last spotted driving an old gray Ford with the words CLUNKER - FOR SALE $3000 on its hood." Stan and the officer both froze, staring at the radio as it spoke. Then the officer cleared his throat. "So, yes," he said, this time more forcefully than before. "Your driver's license, please."

 _Stan a kidnapper? What's going on?_ Joshua thought. Then he looked at the restrained Rednex and its grin which could now only be described as smug, and he realized what had happened. _Rednex, you rat!_ Joshua thought. _You copied the police officer's voice, and made it sound like there's an arrest warrant for Stan!_ Stan must've realized this as well, as his eyes narrowed briefly while the cords around Rednex pulled even tighter. "Don't blame | the messenger," it said weakly.

Suddenly, Stan relaxed, and the cords around Rednex loosened ever so slightly. "Of course, officer," he said politely, opening his wallet. "My driver's license." Joshua watched as Stan slowly pulled a card out of his wallet, and he noticed that while the card seemed to be a proper driver's license, the name on it was 'Justin Byzan'. _Don't worry,_ the subtle grin that Stan gave Joshua seemed to say. _This isn't the first time I've needed to hide my identity. This fake ID will be more than enough to convince this officer that he's got the wrong guy._ "Here you are," Stan then said, handing the officer the fake driver's license.

The officer slowly looked at the license. Then he looked back at Stan. Then he stared at the license again, and back to Stan again. "That's strange," Alexa murmured to Joshua. "Huh? What is?" Joshua asked, realizing that he had been so focused on the exchange between the officer and Stan that he hadn't been paying attention to anything else. "The truck," Alexa said. "Look." The police officers by the semi had managed to dislodge it from the pole it had collided with, and Joshua saw the front of the truck for the first time. Large parts of the broken windshield seemed to be covered in some kind of black scrawl. "How did that guy drive with his window like that?" Joshua wondered. "It almost looks like some kind of writing," Alexa said.

Taking a deep breath, the officer suddenly threw down the driver's license and shouted, "Constatine Istanbul, you're under arrest! Put your hands behind your head and get on the ground now!"

Several things seemed to happen at once as the officer spoke. The gaze of every police officer in the area was suddenly directed towards the group. Stan stumbled backwards, muttering "What the-?!" Joshua glanced down, and noticed that the license - that had definitely displayed a fake name when he last saw it - now clearly read 'Constantine Istanbul'. Alexa's eyes widened, and she said "No, that's definitely writing!"

And Rednex, the ever-present smile still gleaming on its face, crouched low to the ground and leapt out of its bindings. The instant it hit the ground, the red Stand took off at full sprint, expertly weaving its way through the mass of officers, onlookers, and parked cars.

"Not so fast!" Stan yelled, whirling to face the fleeing Rednex. " **[Birdhouse in Your** -" Stan was abruptly cut off as the officer tackled him from behind, yelling "I told you to get on the ground now!" "Argh, we don't have time for this!" Stan shouted, struggling underneath the officer. Joshua moved towards Stan, trying to think of a way to help him, but stopped as Stan shouted, "Don't worry about me! Just don't let that Stand escape!"

"Right!" Joshua nodded. " **[Imagine Dragons]**!" With the green Stand at his side, Joshua took off in the same direction as the fleeing Rednex. Beside him, he could see Alexa, Hiram, and Daniel all doing the same thing. "Hey!" a nearby officer yelled. "Where do you kids think you're going?" Joshua dodged to the side as the officer tried to grab him, but noticed another officer had managed to hold tight to Hiram's arm. A third officer had somehow managed to restrain Daniel, who was yelling "Let me go, you goon! I haven't even been kidnapped!" as he struggled to escape the officer's clutches.

"Dammit!" Daniel yelled. " **[Sabaton]**!" The pink Stand appeared directly in front of Rednex, swinging its fist at its face. Without so much as slowing down, Rednex deftly ducked underneath the fist, and continued to sprint out of the intersection. Sabaton vanished, and reappeared in front of Rednex once again, this time kicking out a leg to trip Rednex. Rednex gracefully leapt over Sabaton's leg, completely unfazed. "Dammit, it's fast," Daniel said. "Joshua! Alexa! Don't you dare let that goon get away!"

Joshua didn't respond, too busy dodging past officer after officer to acknowledge Daniel. As he reached the small crowd of onlookers, Joshua held out his arms in a guarded motion, shoving his way through the crowd. A few feet away from him, Joshua saw Alexa and YMCA emerge from the crowd. "It's heading toward town!" YMCA shouted, pointing forward. "Quickly! After it!"

Rednex may have not been a very powerful Stand, but it certainly was fast. Even moving at full sprint, Joshua and Alexa could barely keep pace with it. Not helping things was the fact that Rednex seemed to have picked the most cluttered route possible to flee, with the sidewalk filled with pedestrians, restaurant tables, and store merchandise at every step. Where Rednex handled these obstacles with ease, dodging pedestrians and leaping across tables, Joshua and Alexa could barely navigate through the street without bumping into anyone or anything.

 _How did the name on Stan's fake license change?_ Joshua wondered as he ran. _I'm sure Rednex had something to do with it, but how?_ He continued to run across an intersection, focused only on his thoughts and the Stand in front of him, when YMCA suddenly lifted him off the ground, yelling "Watch out, mistress and Joshua!" The golden Stand then slammed its fist down onto the hood of a car that had come barreling out of the intersection, stopping it in its tracks.

"Hey! What do you kids thinks you're doing?!" the surly man in the car angrily exclaimed, poking his head out the window. "Didn't you read the sign?!" He yelled, pointing at the nearby stop sign. "What do you mean, read the sign?" Joshua asked, confusion overtaking any fear or anger he may have been feeling. "You mean the stop sign?"

"What stop sign?!" the surly man responded. "I'm talking about that sign, the one that reads 'go as fast as you can' on it." Joshua looked. Sure enough, while the sign may have the same shape and color as a stop sign, and while it definitely was a stop sign, it did read _GO AS FAST AS YOU CAN_. "It's not my fault that you brats get in my way when I'm obeying the rules of the road!" the surly man continued.

"Why would you think that a sign telling you to go as fast as you can through an intersection was a real thing?!" Alexa shouted. "My mistress almost got hit because of your utter foolishness!" YMCA added, once again slamming a fist into the car's hood, this time hard enough to crumple it. The surly man started backward in fright as he saw the hood crumple, knocking his head against the roof of his car in the process. "Never mind this guy," Joshua said, leaping down from YMCA's grasp. "We can't let Rednex get away!" Joshua resumed his sprint toward the still thankfully visible, though now much farther away, Rednex, Alexa closely following behind.

"Rednex must've changed the words on that stop sign," Joshua said as he ran. "It probably changed the words on Stan's license in a similar way." "Those words on the truck's windshield must've been Rednex's doing as well," Alexa realized. "How many powers does this thing have? I thought it was just a messenger Stand."

"I am a messenger Stand," Rednex's eloquent voice echoed from all around Joshua and Alexa, even as the Stand itself showed no indication of slowing down. "The ultimate messenger Stand, with ability to deliver messages in every possible way."

Joshua could hear Rednex start loudly barking as it continued to run down the street, and a large group of dogs suddenly burst out of the store it had passed. The group of dogs scattered, breaking off in every direction, but three of the biggest dogs - a doberman, a mastiff, and a hungry-looking greyhound - made a tight beeline directly toward Joshua and Alexa. _Crap! It can talk to animals too?!_ Joshua thought frustratedly, Imagine Dragons preparing to guard him from the dogs' rush. _We can't afford to be slowed down by this, but I don't want to hurt those dogs._

" **[YMCA]**! Take care of those dogs!" Alexa called, and the golden Stand rushed forward with a "Yes, mistress!" As the dogs rushed past YMCA, paying it no attention, it quickly poked the small of each of the dogs' necks, causing the dogs to freeze up and fall over. As Alexa ran ahead, Joshua couldn't help but pause at the dogs' motionless bodies, causing YMCA to yell, "I caused their muscles to lock up! They won't be able to move for a little while, but they're fine! Now let's hurry!"

 _This isn't working,_ Joshua thought as he continued to chase after Rednex. They had been running at full sprint for several minutes now, and the exhaustion had begun to creep into his muscles. On the other hand, Rednex seemed no signs of slowing down its pace; if anything seemed to have sped up from before. "This isn't working," he repeated out loud to Alexa. "We're going to have to do something else if we want to catch up to it."

"Well, I can't run any faster," Alexa responded. "And YMCA can only stop things, not make speed things up." _Well, there must be something we can do,_ Joshua thought as he looked around. As his eyes settled on a nearby outdoor cafe, an idea began to form in his mind. It wasn't a very good idea, and there were too many ways for it to go wrong, but it was the only option forward he could see. "Alexa!" He called. "Can YMCA make us both weightless?"

"Sure," Alexa said in response, "But what good will that - oh," she interrupted herself, noticing the same thing that Joshua had. "Are you sure that will work?" "It's worth a shot," Joshua said, now running directly toward the cafe. "Alright, then. YMCA!" Alexa called, the golden Stand immediately appearing at her side. "Eliminate the force of gravity from me and Joshua!"

"At once, mistress!" YMCA said, and pressed its hand on top of Joshua's shoulder. Joshua could feel his body growing lighter, could feel his connection to the ground slip away as he dove toward the nearest cafe table. "Hold on tight!" he yelled, feeling a slight bit of pressure as YMCA and Alexa clung to his back. In one swift motion, he pulled a tablecloth off of the cafe table and spread it out over his head, tightly clutching the corners. Imagine Dragons emerged by his side, and with a fireball tucked neatly in its mouth, blew hot air into the tablecloth.

The sudden created thermal underneath the tablecloth inflated, hurtling Joshua and Alexa up in the air. As they rose above the buildings, Imagine Dragons slightly shifted the direction of its breath, causing Joshua and Alexa to quickly fly forward. Joshua could see the tiny figure of Rednex growing closer below them, still running at full speed. "Alright, Alexa!" he yelled. "Now have YMCA lower us onto Rednex!"

"Um," Alexa said, biting her lip. "YMCA, can you do that?" "I'm afraid not, mistress," YMCA responded. "My powers are all or nothing; I can fully negate gravity, but not partially." "What?" Joshua said incredulously. "Then how are we going to get down safely?" They were directly above Rednex at this point: if they stayed in the air any longer, they would blow past it. Alexa probably had the same thought, as she said, "I'm sure you'll figure something out. Just leave Rednex to us!" and then let go of Joshua's back with YMCA.

The instant YMCA's hand left Joshua's shoulder, his full weight returned and the makeshift paraglider collapsed. "OH SHIT!" Joshua yelled as he started falling. As the ground rushed toward him, Imagine Dragons surrounded him and flapped its wings as hard as it could. It wasn't nearly enough to stop his fall, but it did slow his descent to where he didn't die when he landed, his fall broken by a small wooden bench and Imagine Dragons' tough body. Joshua shakily stood up from the splintered remains of the bench, carefully testing weight on each of his limbs. _At least nothing seems to be broken,_ he thought, at the same time wondering how many more times he'd be able to think that.

A few feet from where he'd landed, he could Rednex standing in place, with Alexa and YMCA nearby. As he got closer to them, he could hear of voice disturbingly similar to his say, "Alright, Alexa, you can let Rednex go, I'm here to catch it now." "That wasn't my voice," he said loudly, making sure he was heard over the fake voice. "Nice try, Rednex."

Despite apparently being captured, Rednex still had its wide grin plastered on its face. "Don't blame | the messenger," it said. "Alexa, have you got a good hold of it?" Joshua said, ignoring the red Stand. "The mistress had me stop the enemy Stand's momentum," YMCA explained, pressing its palm against the ground, "and now I'm removing the force of friction from the nearby ground. If Rednex tries to move it will slip and fall, so it won't be going anywhere."

"Good then," Joshua said, as Imagine Dragons emerged with a fireball in its mouth. "Alright, Rednex, no more playing around. You're going to tell us where the Cobalt Order base is, and you're going to tell us now." "Or I could show you," the fake voice returned, "since we're only a couple blocks away."

Joshua's eyes narrowed. Were they really so close to the Cobalt Order base, or was it just another trick? Rednex was almost certainly lying, but if there was even the smallest chance it was telling the truth, he knew he couldn't pass up the chance to take it. "Alright," he decided, as Imagine Dragons reached forward and grabbed Rednex by the neck, "but this is your last chance. If you're deceiving us again, I will send a fireball directly into your creepy face."

Rednex's grin still remained. "Okay. Don't blame | the messenger," it said.

* * *

"Okay, we're here," the disembodied voice that still copied Joshua said.

They had been walking for about twenty minutes, following Rednex's directions, with Imagine Dragons tightly gripping the red Stand's neck. The part of town Rednex had led them to seemed to be completely abandoned, with tall, decaying office buildings in every direction. Alexa leaned back, arms crossed. "So, this is where the Cobalt Order's base is, then?" she asked.

Rednex's grin grew wider than it ever had before, and the disembodied voice began to laugh. "Nope," the voice said. "I don't even know where the Cobalt Order's base is. But this is where you will all die. I've led you into an ambush."

"What?!" Alexa yelled, YMCA exploding from her side. "I thought you had no way to contact the Cobalt Order!" "That's true," the voice said mockingly. "I am just a remote Stand that can only follow instructions, without a direct connection to my user. But my user can track my location, like you would track a package." "I am a messenger Stand," Rednex added. "Once my user realized my route had diverted from its usual path, he intercepted me and contacted me with a plan."

"But when did you-" Alexa's eyes widened, and she had to take a step back. "That truck crashing into us - it wasn't an accident. That was your Stand user. And those words written on the windshield, that wasn't caused by you, they were written _for_ you." "Correct!" the voice said. "I was told by my user to let you chase me while they prepared an ambush, then let you catch me and lead you to here, where I will unleash a massive ambush of Cobalt Order Stand users! You don't stand a chance!"

"So do it then." Joshua had remained completely stoic throughout Rednex's monologue, Imagine Dragons' grip not even tightening around its throat. "Unleash the massive ambush and kill us," he now said, his voice a low monotone. "Unless, of course," he continued, "you can't. Because the ambush hasn't been set up yet." Rednex opened its mouth, its grin barely present, but no sound came out. Finally, it spoke: "What?"

"You said it yourself," Joshua said. "You're a remote Stand that can only follow instructions. You were supposed to let us chase you until the ambush was set up, then let us catch you so you could lead us here. Except you didn't let us catch you - we caught you despite you running at full speed. The time for which you were supposed to evade us got cut off, and you moved on to the next step of leading us here, even though there hadn't been nearly enough time to get the ambush ready yet." "N-No!" The voice yelled. "I've led you into an ambush! You're going to die! Everyone, attack!"

Rednex's last order echoed off the abandoned buildings, and silence filled the street. No one emerged from hiding; no Stand powers filled the air. After a few seconds of waiting, Imagine Dragons threw Rednex to the ground with a roar. Rednex shakily got to its knees and looked up at Joshua, the grin finally having left its face. "I'm sorry!" The disembodied voice cried. "I was only following orders!" "Don't blame | the messenger," Rednex added again. "Give me another chance!" asked the voice. "I was lying when I said that I don't know where the Cobalt Order is! I'll tell you, for real this time! Just please don't hurt me!"

"I told that the next time you tried to deceive us, it would be the end of you," Joshua said. "You can only repeat what you hear, right? So let me help you say this: **NOOOOOOOOO**!"

" **NOOOOOOOOO**!" Rednex echoed.

" **GRA-DADADADADADADADADA**!" Imagine Dragons yelled as its claws repeatedly slashed across Rednex's body, lifting the red Stand into the air. " **GRA-DA**!" As it finished slashing, Imagine Dragons launched a fireball into Rednex's face. As Rednex flew backwards, it seemed to disintegrate, disappearing before it hit the ground.

As Imagine Dragons returned to him, Joshua shook his head, sighing. "Well, at least that's over with," he said. "It's a shame we didn't get the location of the Cobalt Order's base, though." Should we go back to Stan and the others then? Hopefully they've managed to clear things up with the police by now."

"That's the thing, Joshua," Alexa said, pressing her hand against a seemingly invisible barrier in front of her. "I'm not sure we can."

 **-To Be Continued- End of the Road (Act 1)**

* * *

 **Stand User: Alexander Graham Ford**

 **Stand Name: [Rednex]**

 **Power: D**

 **Speed: B**

 **Range: A**

 **Durability: C**

 **Precision: C**

 **Developmental Potential: D**

 **Imitation: Rednex can remember a person's voice and perfectly imitate it, including accent and imitation. However, it can only say things in a person's voice that it has heard that person say.**

 **Voice Control: As long as it is within one meter of someone, Rednex is able to gain control of that person's voice, allowing it to say whatever it wants in that voice. Rednex can also project this voice onto nearby surfaces, including on the person themself, making it seem as though they are speaking. However, this does not prevent the person from speaking by themself.**

 **Word Alteration: Rednex can alter the words written on any surface, as well as add words to surfaces where there are none or completely erase words from surfaces.**


	24. End of the Road (Act 1)

Everything seemed to have been going so well before; sure, they hadn't actually gotten any closer to finding the Cobalt Order's base, but at least they had taken down Rednex before it could lead them into an ambush. Or, at least, that's what Joshua had thought. Now, as he pressed his palm up against an invisible wall in the middle of the road, he was beginning to grow less and less sure of that assumption.

"Do you think it's the same guy as before?" he asked. They had never managed to capture that second Stand user in the suburbs, even if they had found what appeared to be his tools near a smoldering lawn. If that enemy had managed to escape, then maybe…

But Alexa shook her head. "I don't think so," she said, rubbing the wall. "Those walls felt like nothing, just smooth and firm, but this wall has a rough texture. It's almost like…" she paused for a second, lost in thought, before finishing, "like it's made of pavement."

 _She's right,_ Joshua realized as he ran his hand along the wall. Not only was the invisible wall rough like pavement, it also felt hot to the touch, and somehow felt incredibly filthy as well. As he continued to trace the wall, however, he could feel the texture underneath his hand suddenly shift. "That's not quite right," he said, even as he had no explanation for what was happening. "That section the wall feels like pavement, but this part feels like brick." He continued to run his hand all over the wall, trying to find other new textures. "And this patch," he said, tapping his finger against a small section of the wall, "is super smooth."

 _Wait. What? It's smooth?_ The invisible wall had no reason to have this assortment of textures, and yet something about them seemed to make sense in Joshua's mind. _Why does it make sense that it's smooth?_ He tapped the small patch with his thumb again, trying to figure out the logic that his brain seemed to have accepted. It really was a small patch: pressing the full weight of his thumb against it, he could feel the brick texture touch its edges. Lifting his thumb off of the patch again, he noticed that it had been covering the window of an office building about a block away…

 _No. No way._ Joshua felt lightheaded as the sudden revelation flooded his mind. _There's no way. It's impossible._ And it was impossible, or it should've been, but deep down he knew that he had already seen several impossible things since entering the world of Stands. If there was an enemy Stand user behind this wall, and there almost certainly was, then there should be no reason that their Stand couldn't do such a thing. Even if it was something as ludicrous as Joshua thought. His fingers raced across the wall, hoping desperately to deconfirm the crackpot theory that had entered his head, but to no avail: the road felt like road, and the buildings felt like buildings. It was the perfect explanation, other than the fact that it made no sense whatsoever.

"Alexa..." he said, struggling to keep his voice calm, struggling to put his thoughts into words - struggling to do anything, really. "Do you think it's possible that this isn't an invisible wall, but instead everything in front of us has flattened and pushed up to us?" Alexa's eyebrows reflexively arched in disbelief. "What are you talking about?" she asked. "What do you - oh. Oh. Ohhh." Disbelief instantly turning into a confused recognition, Alexa ran her hands across the wall with renewed intensity, testing Joshua's idea just as he had seconds ago. "Oh shit," she breathed. "You're right."

Joshua quickly stepped away from the 'wall'. Even knowing what was in front of him, it was still hard to see the line was. Everything _looked_ real and three-dimensional from his perspective, it just...wasn't. As he continued to step back, Imagine Dragons charged in front of him and raked its claws against the 'road'. " **GRA-DA**!" it exclaimed as it tore up the pavement, causing chunks of asphalt to fly out of the 'wall' with every swipe. After a few seconds, though, Joshua had had enough, and he recalled Imagine Dragons when he saw its claws hit dirt. "No, that won't work," he mumbled to himself. "This isn't some ordinary wall you could just bust through; somehow space itself has been flattened around us to make this wall. I'd have to dig through Earth's core to get through."

While Joshua and Imagine Dragons had been tearing up the road, Alexa had run in the opposite direction with YMCA at her side. "There's a wall this way too," she now called from some feet away. "And it's also got the textures of its background." "Hold on, I'll be right there," Joshua responded. As he walked over, his mind was awash with questions, searching for some solution, some explanation - beyond the obvious answer, of course.

As he got to where Alexa was standing, Joshua reached his hand out. Sure enough, he felt the same rough, gritty texture of pavement as the other wall. Pulling his hand away, he looked around; the street was still dead silent. Nobody was emerging from a darkened alleyway, and nothing was flying out at them or dropping on top of them. In fact, nothing was happening at all. "This is the work of an enemy Stand user," Joshua said slowly.

Alexa cocked an eyebrow. "Obviously," she said. "So?"

"So why haven't they attacked us yet?" Joshua asked. "We're trapped, sure, but it's not like we're in any danger. Why hasn't the Stand user done anything yet?" He looked around again. "For that matter, where _is_ the Stand user?"

As if in response, the entrance of the building in front of them suddenly swung open, banging against the wall with a heavy _thud_. The inside of the building was pitch-black, so much so that it seemed like the darkness was spilling out into the street. Standing in front of the open door, which somehow felt more like a yawning chasm and less of an entrance, Joshua took a deep breath and said, "I guess we're supposed to go in there, then."

Alexa eyed the building warily. "It's a trap," she said. "Definitely," Joshua agreed. "But our options right now are being trapped in there or staying trapped out here. At least if we go inside we'll be getting closer to the enemy." Not waiting for a response, Joshua cautiously approached the entrance, Imagine Dragons at his side and, after a short pause, Alexa and YMCA following behind him.

The inside of the building was nearly as dark as it had seemed from the outside, with only scant light from the dirty windows illuminating their surroundings. The walls and floor of the building were crude gray plaster, with no features other than a few evenly-spaced columns piercing the floor. The building had clearly been abandoned for a while: the floor was littered with chunks of brick and plaster, parts of the walls had been covered in graffiti, and exposed pipes lined the walls and ceiling. On the back wall of the building, Joshua could barely see an empty doorframe leading to a similarly abandoned-looking staircase. Perhaps most worryingly, Joshua realized as he looked around, there was no other person - Stand user or otherwise - in sight.

"Where are they?" he said as Alexa walked up beside him. As a loud metallic groan from behind answered him, Joshua whirled around to see the door they had entered slam shut. The enemy Stand user still had not appeared. "Hey, come on out!" Joshua yelled to the empty building. "We came in here at your invitation. Are you just going to hide from us?" Beside him, Imagine Dragons appeared, picking up a chunk of plaster and throwing it against the back wall. The chunk shattered as it hit the wall, and echoes of the impact cut through the silence of the empty building.

Finally, a deep voice spoke. "Do you have the Fragment?" the voice asked calmly. Joshua looked around, searching for the source of the voice, but couldn't find anyone. He couldn't even tell where the voice was coming from - it seemed to be above him, behind him, and next to him all at once. "Where are you?!" Joshua demanded. "Come out!"

"Do you have the Fragment?" the voice asked again, ignoring Joshua. "Do you know where it is?" "Hey, Joshua?" Alexa whispered. "What's this fragment this guy is talking about?" "I'm not entirely sure," Joshua answered. _That Jake Elwood guy mentioned a fragment too,_ he thought. _Maybe they're talking about…_

Unconsciously, without even thinking about it, Joshua's hand slipped inside his pocket. As he considered the hidden enemy's words, Joshua realized that he felt something solid and heavy. He carefully tightened his grip around the object, knowing exactly what it was. _How did this get in here?_ he thought. _I thought Daniel had it. Did he slip it into my pocket at some point?_ "What are you talking about?" he said out loud, making sure his voice gave nothing away. "What's the Fragment?"

"Don't pretend like you don't know, Joshua Johannson," the voice said, the sound of his name sending shivers down Joshua's spine. "The Fragment of the Arrow - the one you stole from us. The one that gave you your Stand."

Hearing the confirmation of his thoughts electrified Joshua's insides. Slowly, he pulled his hand out of his pocket and held up the small golden weapon. "You mean this?" he said, hoping the sight of it would make the enemy Stand user come out of wherever they were hiding. "Ah, there it is," the voice said, still seemingly coming from multiple places but now more localized behind Joshua. "How kind of you to bring it right back to me…"

Joshua must've blinked. He must've blinked, because there was no other explanation for what had happened. No Stand user emerged from the shadows, no Stand was activated, nothing _happened_ \- but somehow, while the voice had been talking, the weapon had slipped out of Joshua's hand and disappeared. Joshua barely noticed it happen; by the time he felt the weapon slip out of his fingers, it had already vanished. It hadn't fallen out of his hands: there was no sound of the weapon hitting the ground, no dull golden glint on the floor. It was just...gone.

"Really, I have to thank you." The voice seemed to be coming out of every angle of the empty building now, whirling around Joshua and Alexa. "I honestly didn't think you would be so foolish as to bring the Fragment right to me." "What did you do?" Joshua asked harshly, Imagine Dragons flexing its claws beside him. He couldn't believe how stupid he'd been - all that work Daniel had put in to get the weapon, and he'd just handed it over to the enemy. He was damned if he wasn't going to let them get away with it, though - the only thing stopping him from rushing the enemy right then was the fact that he had no idea where they were. _Keep them talking,_ he silently resolved to himself. _Eventually they'll slip up and expose where they are._

"This really must be my lucky day," the voice went on, still ignoring Joshua's questions. Joshua's head pounded as he struggled to keep up with the moving voice, hoping to pinpoint its location. "I would've normally sent one of my underlings to Rednex's request," the voice said, "but something about it felt special to me. I'm glad I decided to finally deal with you kids myself."

A chill ran down Joshua's spine as the weight of the voice's words sunk into his head. "Don't tell me…" he began to say, his throat suddenly bone-dry. "Are you the boss of the Cobalt Order?" Silence permeated the building for a moment, as the terrifying question hung in the air. Then the voice began to laugh. It was a deep, harsh laugh, one that started slow but quickly picked up speed, until the room was filled with uproarious laughter that rang out from all around Joshua and Alexa. "What if I am?" the voice finally said, stopping to take a breath. "It's not like you'll live to do anything with it."

The hair on the back of Joshua's neck stood on end. He didn't know if it was instinct or experience or something to do with his Stand - or all three - but somehow he knew exactly what was about to happen. "Get down!" he yelled, Imagine Dragons pushing himself and Alexa on the ground - just as a heavy burst of gunfire rang out from behind them. The green Stand spread its wings, covering Joshua and Alexa as bullets flew above their heads. Finally, the gunfire died down, and Joshua raised his head. He looked back at the source of the gunfire, but as he expected, there was no one in sight.

Before he could say anything to Alexa, or even move, Alexa's body suddenly tensed. More gunfire heralded another round of bullets fired toward them, this time coming from the corner of the far wall. At the same time, YMCA appeared in front of them, holding its arms forward in defense. As the gunfire faded, there was a small metallic clattering as the bullets YMCA had blocked fell harmlessly to the ground. "Thanks, YMCA," Alexa said, rubbing her arm. "Of course, mistress," YMCA responded, not taking its eyes off the spot where the gunfire had originated.

As Joshua and Alexa sat up, a glint of light from above caught Joshua's eye. Imagine Dragons rushed to cover Joshua and Alexa, just as a third set of gunfire came alight, this time from above Joshua's right side. Bullets pounded across Imagine Dragons' back, bouncing off its powerful scales and sending painful stings into Joshua's back. Ignoring the pain, Joshua turned toward Alexa.

"What?" Alexa asked, noticing Joshua's stare. "What's so funny?" Joshua caught himself; he hadn't even realized he had been smiling. It must've been a strange sight, smiling while bullets were flying around them, but Joshua couldn't calm himself with the thoughts ringing through his mind. His head was pounding again, the steady thump echoing through his skull louder than it ever had been before. "This is the Cobalt Order's leader," he said to Alexa as the gunfire died around them once more. "We can stop the Cobalt Order right here and now if we win."

"Maybe, but can we win?" Alexa asked. As she talked, YMCA and Imagine Dragons surrounded the pair, looking around the room for any signs of the next round of gunfire. "We're pinned down here, this guy seems to be able to shoot us from anywhere, and we haven't even seen him. What are we supposed to do against that?"

Joshua stood up, scanning the room once again. "I know how to reach him," he said. True, this Stand user seemed to be able to instantly move himself across the room, but Joshua hadn't trained against a teleporting Stand over the past couple weeks for nothing. Looking across the room, he made sure to keep a close focus on the area he knew the Stand user would go to next. After a few seconds, he grinned; he had been right. Poking out of the column Joshua had been watching was the metallic glint of the barrel of a gun.

"Gotcha," he murmured, before calling out, " **[Imagine Dragons]**!" The green Stand flew toward the column with one arm outstretched, letting loose a mighty roar. Imagine Dragons didn't stop as it reached the column, instead choosing to bust directly through it, and emerged from the other side with its claws tightly wrapped around a man's neck.

The man was extremely pale and gaunt, with a sunken face that seemed to be stuck in a disappointed scowl. He had bright red hair, which along with his shoulders was covered in plaster dust. He wore a light gray pinstripe suit, with the only spot of color on his body being the blue pin that marked him as a member of the Cobalt Order. A large submachine gun clattered to the ground at his feet. Perhaps most worryingly, the man's Stand was nowhere in sight.

If the man was at all upset or surprised about being discovered, he didn't give any indication of it. Instead, he twisted his head in Imagine Dragons' grasp to look at Joshua, and calmly said, "Well, what do you plan to do now? Attack me?"

Joshua didn't bother responding. Instead, Imagine Dragons lifted its free hand and began to slash down onto the man. Just before its claws could make contact with the man's face, however, something solid and extremely quick collided with Imagine Dragons' gut. Joshua clutched his stomach as the wind was knocked out of him, while Imagine Dragons stumbled backward, losing its grip on the man's throat. Looking back up at the man, Joshua noticed a small blocky structure had suddenly seemed to have emerged. Consisting of rectangular shapes made of the same gray stone as the floor, and looking like an inverted L, the structure seemed to have risen from the ground before jutting out at exactly Imagine Dragons' stomach height.

"Did you really think defeating me was going to be as simple as finding me?" the man asked, brushing off some plaster from his shoulder. "I have more tricks than hiding in pillars, you know." Imagine Dragons lunged forward again with another roar, hoping to catch the man in its claws again, but as it reached out the man...wasn't there. He hadn't moved at all, but somehow the floor beneath them had shifted, and the man was now standing a few more feet away from Imagine Dragons. Before Joshua could consider this, however, another similar structure shot out of the ground, this time catching Imagine Dragons in the shoulder and sending it spinning around. The man shook his head. "Such foolishness," he remarked."It's a wonder you were able to take out so many of my men. Unfortunately, my Stand is a bit more of a challenge."

All around Joshua and Alexa, the room began to shift and warp. Spaces between things like windows and columns started to grow and shrink, and small blocky structures jutted out from every angle. The walls and ceiling seem to recede from them, as if the room was expanding - in fact, the very dimensions of the room seemed to be changing as Joshua watched. He noticed that all along the surfaces of the room, thin gray tendrils embedded in them had appeared, and those tendrils seemed to coalesce behind the man's back. The room seemed to pulse and the source of tendrils stepped out from behind the man: the Stand was a writhing, shifting mass of tendrils of an indescribable shape. It seemed to be at once completely solid and totally fractured, humanoid and completely inhuman, sensical and seeming as though looking at it would turn someone insane.

"You're in **[Road to Nowhere]** 's world now," the man said. "And this battle has already been decided."

 **-To Be Continued- End of the Road (Act 2)**


	25. End of the Road (Act 2)

Joshua had encountered a lot of strangeness over the past couple of weeks. He had been kidnapped, only to wake up with the ability to summon a dragon-person from his mind. He had escaped from a fear paralysis emitted from a Stand's eyes, and then torn off its harpoon fingernails with his Stand's teeth. He had fought against a man who threw explosions, an intangible giant made out of netting, and a pointlessly complex weight machine. Less than 20 minutes ago, he had been chasing a faceless messenger that could copy his voice and change the words on stop signs. He was familiar with seeing strange things by now, in other words.

So it was no small feat that when Joshua looked at the garbled, amorphous blob of tendrils made of tv static that was the enemy Stand, and at the warping, pulsing room around him, he could say with confidence that it was the strangest thing he had ever seen. It was almost psychedelic, watching the room stretch and shrink, the walls and columns moving alternately closer and further away from him. Even the floor seemed to move beneath his feet, and Joshua struggled not to stumble over the shifting pieces of rubble. And all the while, the head of the Cobalt Order calmly stood, no more than a few feet away from him.

" **[Road to Nowhere]** 's world?" Joshua repeated, trying to sound casual. "This is your Stand's power, then. Pretty fancy effects, and I'm guessing the way you dodged my attack is part of its ability as well?"

"Hmph," the Cobalt Order's head smirked. "You haven't even begun to understand the capabilities of my Stand. But how about this for starters?" Just as he spoke, a visibly large pulse seemed to run through Road to Nowhere, causing the Stand to vibrate. The pulse ran out of the bottom of Road to Nowhere, and into the tendrils embedded throughout the walls and floor. As the pulse traveled, the lumpy half-formed rods that had begun to form on the walls and floor grew clearer, shaping into more distinct rectangular shapes. Then, right as the pulse was beginning to fade into the back corners of the room, hundreds of the formed rods extended out from the walls, angled directly toward Joshua and Imagine Dragons.

"Crap!" Joshua shouted, leaping backwards to avoid getting impaled by the rods - only for the rods' to suddenly begin extending in another direction, their path towards Joshua unabated. "Joshua-!" Alexa shouted, and YMCA replied, "Already on it, mistress!" as it rushed toward the flying rods. The golden Stand's fists flew across the rods, leaving cracks and indentations in some and even breaking off a couple. However, the rods did not stop underneath YMCA's fists; not even slowing down, they continued to shoot toward Joshua.

As the rods finally reached Joshua, Imagine Dragons appeared in front of him, its claws a violent frenzy of sharpness, destroying and deflecting as many of the ceaseless rods as it could. Even with Imagine Dragons' impressive defense, some rods were still unabated it their path as they flew toward Joshua, forcing him to barely dodge them. It was after he had dodged about five or six of these rods that one of the rods finally smashed into the side of his left arm, tearing past it. Joshua cringed in pain, letting out an involuntary yelp as the rod ripped across his arm, leaving a large bloody gash on one side. Another rod cut across his leg, opening a similar wound. Pain forcefully reverberated through his body as the rod's impact caused him to stumble. Thankfully, at that point all of the rods had either been destroyed by Imagine Dragons and YMCA, or had shot past him into the ground or opposite wall.

"Joshua, are you okay?!" Alexa asked worriedly. "Yeah, I'm fine," Joshua grunted as he slowly rose to his feet. In truth, he had probably never felt more pain in his life, and his wounds seemed to be bleeding pretty badly, but he couldn't focus on those things right now. Not while there were more important things to figure out. "Why didn't YMCA stop those rods from moving?"

"Well, I tried," YMCA said, tilting its head in confusion. "But there wasn't anything to stop. Those spikes - or whatever they were - had no velocity, no force of motion propelling them." "What? That's impossible," Joshua said. "They were very clearly moving. How could they have no motion within them?" There was no explanation for this - no, scratch that. The was one explanation for how the rods could move without motion, one that fit with what Joshua had seen outside, but even considering it was terrifying in its implications.

"It's very simple," the head of the Cobalt Order calmly said. In the midst of all the chaos he hadn't moved an inch, staying perfectly still with his hands in his pockets as he watched. "My Stand, **[Road to Nowhere]** can warp the spatial dimensions of the things around it. That's how I hid within the walls of the building, and how I turned the buildings outside into flat walls. And that's why those rods don't have any motion behind them: they aren't actually moving. It's just the warping of space within this building that makes them seem in motion." Road to Nowhere pulsed, and suddenly Joshua was inches away from the Cobalt Order's head, and the Cobalt Order's head said, "Like this. See?" and swiftly punched Joshua in the face.

As Joshua fell backward, the side of his face hollering in pain, he could see the space between him and the Cobalt Order's head widen once more, until he was back next to Alexa and YMCA again. "You never actually moved, but instead the spatial dimensions of where you are and where I am grew closer. It's as simple as that," The head of the Cobalt Order continued. "But as simple as it is, it is also completely unbeatable. As long as I have control of this room, you will not be able to touch me, let alone defeat me, and I can kill you any time I choose. That said, two on one still doesn't seem fair, does it? Let's do something about that." And Road to Nowhere pulsed yet again.

In the blink of an eye, the ground around Alexa erupted into tall, thin slabs of concrete. The slabs shifted and widened as they shot up all around Alexa, and in an instant they had formed a rough concrete shell around Alexa's body, leaving only her head exposed. "What the-?! I can't move!" Alexa shouted in surprise. " **[YMCA]**! Get me out of here!"

"Of course, mistress! Right away!" YMCA said. With a careful thrust, the golden Stand smashed its palm against the concrete shell that surrounded Alexa's arm, smashing bits of it off. But just as quickly as the pieces fell off of Alexa's arm, the remaining parts of the shell warped and grew, until it completely covered Alexa's body again. "I'm sorry, mistress," YMCA said, an uncharacteristic confused frown on its usually enthusiastic face. "Getting you out of this promptly may take a bit more force than I was expecting."

"Well, then, stop waiting around and use that force!" Alexa said frustratedly, her face twisted in pain. "You won't - urgh - hurt me anymore that this thing is." YMCA hesitated for a moment, then gave a brief nod. "Yes, of course, mistress. Right away," it said said grimly, rearing its fist back. Before it could strike, however, large concrete slabs rose from the ground once again, wrapping around YMCA's arm.

"Trying to break through barriers in Road to Nowhere's world is useless," the head of the Cobalt Order said, now casually leaning against a large pillar that had risen out of the ground. "You could break them into dust, and my Stand would just make those dust particles as large and thick as the strongest wall. That said, it would be a nuisance if I had to continually repair those barriers." And with another pulse of Road to Nowhere, YMCA was trapped in a similar shell of thick concrete slabs. "Much better," the Cobalt Order said, turning his attention back to Joshua. "Now I can focus."

Joshua's mind raced as he watched the head of the Cobalt Order languidly relax against the pillar. _This Stand ability is terrifying - more terrifying than anything I've seen before,_ was a thought that rushed through Joshua's head. _Actually, isn't this just completely broken?_ The Cobalt Order's head could've killed them instantly, Joshua realized; the only reason Joshua and Alexa were still alive was because the head of Cobalt Order had been toying with them. Visions of Road to Nowhere's gruesome potential flashed across Joshua's mind: at any moment he could be impaled by spikes, or crushed between walls, or sliced to ribbons by thin slabs. _There's no helping it,_ Joshua decided. _I have to take him out right now, before he decides to stop playing around and actually kills us._ Even with the looming threat of death from every angle, Joshua's mind was surprisingly clear. Maybe the confidence was brought on by the resolution he had made, or maybe he actually had become desensitized to these life-or-death scenarios, but either way he suddenly wasn't afraid of Road to Nowhere anymore.

With Imagine Dragons at his side, Joshua began to sprint at full force toward the head of the Cobalt Order. _I have to be prepared from attacks from any angle,_ Joshua thought as he ran. _If I fall here, I'm dead. I can't let Road to Nowhere catch me off guard or slow me down, not once._ As poles once again shot from the walls toward Joshua, he increased his pace, deftly weaving around most of the poles and having Imagine Dragons break off the ones he couldn't. _It's just like training with Daniel and Sabaton,_ Joshua told himself, _just don't let down your guard and you'll be fine._ Dodging through the poles and slabs that rose around him, Joshua swiftly drew near to the Cobalt Order's head, and Imagine Dragons reached out to grab his arm.

But once again, Imagine Dragons' claws passed through thin air. The room seemed to stretch backward as the space between Imagine Dragons and the head of the Cobalt Order expanded, causing the head of the Cobalt Order to shoot away from Joshua and Imagine Dragons. "Didn't I tell you already? You cannot touch me in Road to Nowhere's world!" the head of the Cobalt Order called from the distance he had reached.

" **GRA-DA**!" Imagine Dragons shouted in response, shooting a huge fireball toward the head of the Cobalt Order. Once again, as Road to Nowhere pulsated, the head of the Cobalt Order got further and further away from Joshua and Imagine Dragons, until Joshua could barely see him in the distance. What he did clearly see, however, was the fireball eventually fizzle out, unable to keep up with the receding room. "It doesn't matter if you try long-range attacks either," the head of the Cobalt Order said, now standing directly in front of Joshua with the room returned to its original length. "Even if I couldn't outrun it, I could always just create a barrier to take the blow for me." _So it's the perfect defensive Stand in addition to its ridiculous offensive capabilities,_ Joshua thought. _That's just...great._

Road to Nowhere pulsed yet again, and a wall of concrete rose from the ground, flying toward Joshua at breakneck speed. With a yell, Imagine Dragons slashed its claw through the wall, pulverizing it, but before Joshua could even blink another wall had risen in its place. Imagine Dragons continued slashing, tearing through the new wall, but with every wall it destroyed new ones rose up to take its place, getting faster each time. Soon, the speed of walls outpaced Imagine Dragons' frenzied swipes, and they slammed into the scaly Stand, continuing their rush toward Joshua unabated. Ignoring the sudden sharp ache in his side, Joshua tried to dodge to the side, but to no avail; more walls rose from the ground to block his path, and the charging slabs crashed into him too.

As Joshua flew backward, he could see out of the corner of his eye spikes forming on the wall behind him. _Crap!_ he thought; if he didn't do something quickly, he would be impaled. " **[Imagine Dragons]**!" he called, trying to twist himself around in midair. The green Stand reappeared behind him, and the spikes mostly shattered against its thick scales as they crashed into the back wall. It wasn't a perfect solution, however, and pain shot through Joshua's body as a few of the smaller spikes bored into Imagine Dragons' torso. The Stand disappeared, and Joshua collapsed against the ground, fighting the urge to black out against the pain. _Not yet! I can't lose yet!_ Joshua thought as he slowly rose from the floor once more. Nothing seemed to be broken, at least, but Joshua knew he was still in bad shape; his breathing was ragged, every inch of his body ached, and blood oozed out of several nasty scrapes all around his face and body. _I can't keep fighting defensively like this,_ Joshua thought. _I have to actually attack this guy or I'm going to die. And yet…_

And yet how could he even touch someone whose Stand let him change the boundaries of space itself? How could he even get close to him? The impossibility of the fight in front of Joshua started to flood his mind, filling it with a feeling of utter hopelessness. The world around him began to blur and sway, even more than it already had been, and Joshua found himself unable to move. It was as if he was trapped under Birdhouse in Your Soul's fear gaze again. He couldn't move, he couldn't breathe, there was nothing he could do…

 _You can't give up now!_

Joshua blinked, looking around. Who had said that? Was it Alexa? YMCA? The enemy Stand user? The fear that had clouded his mind was gone, replaced with a startling clarity, and the pain in his body seemed to have dimmed. _That's right_ , Joshua thought, _I've come too far to die now._ With the sudden clearness, Joshua realized that the head of the Cobalt Order had accidentally revealed some major weaknesses in his Stand with the last attack. For one, things in the space that was affected by Road to Nowhere seemed less durable than usual. Not only that, but Joshua recognized another, more significant weakness in Road to Nowhere as well. As he looked around the room, an exposed pipe on the side of the wall caught Joshua's eye, and he instantly knew what he had to do to reach the enemy. He could win this fight. No, he was going to win!

With a yell, Joshua charged toward the head of the Cobalt Order, and with Imagine Dragons reached out as if to grab him. Just like before, the space between Imagine Dragons and the head of the Cobalt order stretched out, until he was a good distance away from them. "Didn't I tell you it's pointless to try to hit me?" the head of the Cobalt Order asked, confused.

"I wasn't trying to hit you," Joshua returned. "I was trying to make you move." Imagine Dragons turned and, in one swift motion, grabbed the exposed pipe and ripped it away from the wall. Bolts holding the pipe all along the wall burst as Imagine Dragons swung the pipe from across the room toward the head of the Cobalt Order. "Ah, so that's your plan," the head of of the Cobalt Order said calmly, glancing at the oncoming pipe. "Since Road to Nowhere's spatial distortion affects the pipe too, you think that means I can't dodge it. Well, unfortunately, it's still not enough to reach me." Road to Nowhere's pulsations shifted slightly, and the pipe suddenly began to bend into 90 degree angles, with the part closest to him appearing to stop in midair even as the rest of it continued to swing across the room. "How many times do I have to tell you that it's pointless-"

" **GRA-DA**!" Imagine Dragons interrupted, slashing its claws across the head of the Cobalt Order's head of the Cobalt Order reeled backward, clutching his face with a scream of pain. The pulsing of Road to Nowhere grew rapid and erratic, intensifying the shifting patterns around the room. "Your Stand may let you control the space around us," Joshua said, "but you can only focus on changing one aspect of the space at a time. If I distracted you with the pipe, I knew I could close the distance between us close enough to catch you. It's over now. **[Imagine Dragons]**!"

Imagine Dragons reached out to slash the head of the Cobalt Order again, but before it could, a massive wall burst out of the ground between them, sending them both flying backward. _Crap, he got away from me!_ Joshua thought. _He probably won't fall for the same trick twice either. I'll have to be extra careful with my next attack._ Imagine Dragons gripped the metal pipe in its other hand tightly, waiting for the head of the Cobalt Order to make his next move. But no movement was made. Absolute silence came from the other side of the wall. Even the pulsing patterns around the room seemed to slow down. Then, the head of the Cobalt Order spoke, in a voice so soft Joshua could barely hear him: "You hit me."

And then again, the same whisper of surprise: "You hit me." And then again, this time louder, angrier: "You hit me!" And once again, now full of rage. "You. Hit me!" The warping of the walls began to intensify again, long sharp spikes coming out of every corner. "You hit me!" The boundaries of the room itself began to shake, as the building was encapsulated within an earthquake. "You! Hit! Me!" Imagine Dragons raised its arms, guarding itself and Joshua as the wall in front of them shattered, sending fragments of concrete exploding out in every direction.

"YOU HIT ME!" the head of the Cobalt Order howled. The constant composure that he had held onto was gone, replaced with an almost feral look of fury. Blood dripped off of the three deep claw marks that Imagine Dragons had left on his face. By his side, Road to Nowhere seemed to have also lost its composure, its usually immobile tendrils now wildly whipping across the room. The room's changing walls themselves had grown erratic, their size and shape now shifting tremendous amount each second. Joshua took an involuntary step backward, disoriented by the sudden shifting around him.

"You hit me, and now you think you're hot shit just because you managed it?" the head of the Cobalt Order screamed. All around Joshua the walls began to stretch, the room growing thin and long. Joshua took another step backward, Imagine Dragons keeping its guarded position next to him. The head of the Cobalt Order continued to rant, "I tried to be nice to you, and give you a quick and painless death! But you...you had to go and dodge my gun, and knock me out of hiding, and break my pillars, and...and hit me!" The pulsing of Road to Nowhere was becoming faster and more intense than it ever had before. "I'll kill you," the head of the Cobalt Order said, the rage in his voice replaced with a deadly calmness. "I'll make it hurt. I'll show you what my Stand can really do." Joshua took another step backward - and started to slip as his foot, instead of hitting the ground, went through open air.

With a panicked jolt, Imagine Dragons whirled around, dropping the pipe and clasping Joshua's outstretched arm before he fell any further. As Imagine Dragons pulled him back on his feet, Joshua looked back at the ground - and immediately regretted it. The room behind him didn't exist anymore; Road to Nowhere had bent the dimensions of the room much like it had bent the pipe, and now looming behind Joshua was a huge chasm, reaching so far deep that he couldn't see the bottom. As he looked, unable to tear his eyes away from the abyss he had almost fallen into, he saw a large chunk of concrete fall into it. Joshua didn't hear it land.

"Die," the head of the Cobalt Order said coldly, and with a quick pulse of Road to Nowhere, a pillar of concrete slammed into Imagine Dragons' back, knocking it and Joshua into the chasm.

 **-To Be Continued- End of the Road (Act 3)**

* * *

 **Whoops, it's been a while, huh? Don't worry, this fic isn't on hiatus just yet; things just got really busy for me over the last couple of weeks, with exams and all. Thankfully, it's winter break now, so I can really focus on getting back to a consistent writing schedule.**


	26. End of the Road (Act 3)

For a brief moment, Joshua was hovering weightlessly over the chasm. The pillar had bowled him over, and he found himself staring into the abyss beneath him. What little of the gray concrete walls he could see quickly faded into pitch-black darkness. _Huh,_ Joshua thought, surprised about his own clarity. _I've probably never been above this much nothing before._

Then the moment was over, and he began to fall into the chasm.

" **[Imagine Dragons]**!" Joshua yelled, turning and wrapping his arms around his Stand's scaly waist. With a roar, Imagine Dragons twisted around in midair, barely managing to cling on to the edge of the chasm with the tips of its claws. Joshua clung onto Imagine Dragons as tightly as he could while the Stand scrambled to gain a better grip on the edge, its tail thrashing against the side of the cliff.

"You think you can pull yourself back up just like that?" snarled a cold voice from above the edge of the cliff. Joshua looked up just as the full force of the head of the Cobalt Order's boot came down onto Imagine Dragons' claws, causing him to grimace as pain shot through his fingertips. "I want you to fall," the head of the Cobalt Order said. "And that means you fall!" Another pillar rocketed out of the side of the cliff, crashing into Imagine Dragons' chest and knocking it and Joshua away from the wall.

Imagine Dragons reached out as it was pushed away, digging its claws into the sides of the pillar and holding on to it with all its might. As the pillar continued to push them away from the wall, Joshua worried for a brief moment that the head of the Cobalt Order would try to crush them against the opposite side of the chasm, but no sooner had that thought crossed his mind than the pillar suddenly jerked to a halt. Joshua now was dangling over the center of the chasm, clinging to Imagine Dragons' waist with all his might. He didn't dare look down.

Imagine Dragons started to slowly lift itself onto the pillar, dragging Joshua up from the edge inch by painful inch. However, the Stand had barely begun to move when the pillar suddenly and rapidly retracted back into the side of the chasm, slamming Joshua and Imagine Dragons against the once again flat wall. As Joshua shuddered at the impact, Imagine Dragons immediately dug its claws into the side of the wall, preventing them from slipping any further. _I'm not going to be able to get out at this rate,_ Joshua thought. A plan of escape was forming in his mind, but the more he thought about it the more he realized how incredibly risky and unlikely it was. _Except as a last resort...no, even then it might be too risky,_ Joshua decided. _Could things get any worse?_

Unfortunately for Joshua, immediately after thinking this question he received his answer. The small crevices Imagine Dragons had dug out and was clinging to suddenly flattened, and it and Joshua started to slide down the chasm wall. Imagine Dragons panickedly scratched new handholds to grip into the wall, its wings flapping furious against the forces of gravity, but the gashes flattened faster than it could gouge them. "There's no point in trying to hold on," the head of the Cobalt Order taunted, watching Imagine Dragons scramble for something to grip from the top of the chasm. "Not while I control the boundaries of space itself. There's nothing you can do...but fall." A tiny pulse of Road to Nowhere ran through the side of the chasm, and small fragments of the wall jutted outward where Imagine Dragons' fingers were placed. Joshua could only gasp as he and Imagine Dragons were knocked away from the wall, his mind rapidly alternating between wild reactionary plans and terrifying blankness, as he fell down into the darkness beneath him.

"There we go," the head of the Cobalt Order said, his calm demeanor having apparently returned to him. "I'll give you credit; you were a troublesome opponent," he said, walking contentedly away from the chasm. "I can understand why my more incompetent underlings couldn't defeat you. But it's over now; I have the Fragment, and your pesky meddling will never bother the Cobalt Order again."

"Oh? Are you sure about that?" Joshua said, his voice distantly echoing from around the room.

"What the-?!" the head of the Cobalt Order whirled around, as if expecting to see Joshua rise from the pit. However, there was no sign of him - or, at least, that was what Joshua hoped. If the head of Cobalt Order figured out what he had done, then he would truly be out of options.

But instead of feeling the pulse of Road Nowhere moving the room to expose and crush him, Joshua heard the head of the Cobalt Order briskly stalk toward the chasm, Road to Nowhere slithering by his side. _Good,_ Joshua thought. _He doesn't know where I am. That means he can't sense me through Road to Nowhere - which means Road to Nowhere can't hurt me where I am. Hopefully._ "Are you still clinging to life down there?" the head of the Cobalt Order hissed furiously at the chasm. Joshua was barely listening to the contents of the threat; he was too busy trying to figure out exactly where the head of Cobalt Order was. Beside him, Imagine Dragons moved slowly and deliberately, taking care to make its work as quietly as possible - the last thing Joshua wanted was for them to be discovered when they were so close, after all.

"There's no point in struggling any longer; surely by now you must have accepted that you cannot beat my Stand," the head of the Cobalt Order continued. His tone seemed as calm it had been before, but there was still a dangerous edge in it. "I'll make your end quick now, so do me a favor and die quietly." A large pulse, the largest one yet, violently erupted from Road to Nowhere, and in an instant the chasm slammed shut. The sudden shock of the spatial disruption caused the walls around the room to vibrate, squeezing and stretching rapidly upon themselves. The floor shook as well, dragging the head of Cobalt Order and his Stand slightly closer to what had once been the edge of chasm - right where Joshua needed them to be.

" **GRAAA**!" The instant Joshua heard the head of the Cobalt Order pass over him, Imagine Dragons leapt up with a roar and - breaking through the severely-weakened-by-spatial-distortion floor - grabbed Road to Nowhere by its tendrils. "What the-?!" the head of the Cobalt Order exclaimed in shock as the floor around him collapsed, and he fell into the small pit Imagine Dragons had formed. "You!" he roared, noticing Joshua stand over him triumphantly. "How did you - Urk!" His words were cut off with choking sounds as Imagine Dragons yanked Road to Nowhere downward by its tendrils, crashing its main body to the ground.

"Your Stand is powerful, but it's not all-powerful," Joshua said, making sure Imagine Dragons continued to firmly clutch Road to Nowhere's tendrils. "Haven't you noticed? The stuff you distort with space becomes significantly less durable than it ordinarily is. You were so focused on my Stand's claws, but even its tail could carve out a hole in the wall big enough for us to take cover it." It had seemed completely absurd when he first considered it. He hadn't even started it intentionally; he just happened to notice that Imagine Dragons' tail had begun to dig a hole as it thrashed, and that hole wasn't getting filled like his handholds were. Even as he continued to subtly increase the hole, he had thought that there were too many problems with his plan to realistically use it. The head of the Cobalt Order could have noticed the hole, or maybe sensed it with Road to Nowhere. It was possible that by hiding in the hole, Joshua would just be walking into another trap. It wasn't until he pushed off the side of the chasm that he had been forced to dive into the hole, praying that the head of the Cobalt Order wouldn't notice him.

But he hadn't. And Joshua had survived. And now he was standing over the head of the Cobalt Order, with Imagine Dragons holding tightly to his Stand. "And now that I've got you, there's no way I'm letting you go," Joshua said, smiling. "Just try to stretch the space between us now. As long as Imagine Dragons is holding your Stand, we'll just get pulled along with you."

"Hmph," the head of the Cobalt Order snarled. "You still underestimate the power of my Stand. **[Road to Nowhere]**!" The Stand, which had hung limp in Imagine Dragons' claws, suddenly stiffened as a pulse ran through its tendrils. Long rods shot from both the ceiling and floor around Joshua, immobilizing him before he had time to react. Similar poles shot out around Imagine Dragons, holding the Stand in place, though it managed to keep its grip on Road to Nowhere. "I control space itself!" the head of the Cobalt Order exclaimed. "Even if you catch me, I'll just make it so you can't move! You'll never reach me again!"

Joshua continued to smile. "Maybe so," he said. "But haven't you forgotten something?" Confusion flickered across the head of the Cobalt Order's face. "Forgotten something? I haven't forgotten anything. I've won." He narrowed his eyes. "What have I forgotten?"

"Us," Alexa said, as YMCA slammed its fist into the back of the head of the Cobalt Order's skull. "Exactly," Joshua said, as Imagine Dragons effortlessly busted the poles around it. "You've been so focused on me that you forgot to maintain the distortion that kept Alexa trapped. Now _you're_ the one with no escape." "No!" the head of the Cobalt Order cried, stumbling forward into Imagine Dragons' waiting arms. "This can't be!"

" **GRA-DADADADADADADADADA**!" Imagine Dragons responded with a flurry of slashes and punches across the head of the Cobalt Order's body, maintaining tight grip on Road to Nowhere. Every time a blow launched the head of the Cobalt Order backward, YMCA returned him with an equally heavy blow from behind. Caught tightly between the two Stands' assaults, the head of the Cobalt was knocked back and forth until finally, he collapsed on the ground in a bloody heap.

"It's over," Joshua sighed in relief, panting heavily. _Shoot, I hope we didn't kill him,_ Joshua thought as he looked down at the head of the Cobalt Order's prone, profusely bleeding body. _I don't know what Stan would say, but I think we want to take him in alive? I don't know how we're going to do that with his Stand power though._ Before he could consider the matter any further, though, the head of the Cobalt Order's body twitched. "No escape?" the head of the Cobalt Order said weakly, struggling to lift his head. "There's always an escape...as long as I have… **[Road to Nowhere]**..."

"Not so fast!" Alexa shouted, as YMCA stomped its foot into the head of the Cobalt Order's body - or tried to. Before the golden Stand could touch the head of the Cobalt Order, he suddenly vanished, and the Stand's foot landed on the ground instead. At the same time, Road to Nowhere disappeared from Imagine Dragons' grasp, as did the poles holding Joshua in place. _This isn't good. Where did he go?_ thought Joshua worriedly. As he looked around the room, Joshua realized that the pit they were standing in had gotten a lot shallower. In fact, much of the room had changed: the walls had returned to their normal dimensions and were no longer pulsing, the various poles and spikes had disappeared - in fact, except for a few destroyed pillars, several small craters in the walls across the room, and a conspicuously torn out pipe, the room looked the same as when they had entered it. It was almost as if…

"Was it all an illusion?" Alexa asked. Joshua shook his head. "No way." The twisting of space had been real; the bruises and cuts across Joshua's body were proof enough of that. "There's something else going on. But where is he hiding?" As he said this, Joshua started to move around the room, only for his legs to suddenly buckle out from underneath him, YMCA just managing to catch him before he hit the ground. "Joshua! Are you okay?" Alexa asked, rushing over to him. "You shouldn't be moving so much," she said, looking over his body. "You're really badly injured."

"No- I- Yeah, you're right," Joshua admitted, leaning against YMCA for support. Now the fight had ended and the adrenaline rush was fading, Joshua was beginning to realize just how exhausted he had become. Not only that, but all wounds on his body were really beginning to throb in pain. His entire body ached, he felt dizzy and nauseous, his head was pounding…

Wait. His head was pounding?

"I know how he's hiding himself," Joshua said, suddenly standing up with renewed clarity. Something in his mind had clicked, and now everything - even the things he hadn't even considered until now - made sense. He started to walk across the room. "Joshua, wait-" Alexa said, "your wounds-" "Are fine. I'm fine. Actually, I'm better than fine," Joshua interrupted, brushing off Alexa's concerns. The aching of his body was gone again, and Imagine Dragons was by his side. "I know how he's hidden, and I know how to find him."

"Why did the head of the Cobalt Order bring us into Road to Nowhere's world?" Joshua asked, turning back to Alexa. "Why didn't he keep shooting at us from within the walls?" Alexa looked over at YMCA perplexedly, and shrugged. "I don't know. Because you found him and dragged him out?"

"Did I though?" Joshua asked, scratching his chin. "He seemed to move really fast while he was in the walls - faster than he was in the open, even." He continued to pace around the room. "That phrasing is weird, too. Road to Nowhere's world? Assuming that means the place where Road to Nowhere distorts space, shouldn't we have been in it since we entered this building? Unless…"

Recognition flashed in Alexa's eyes. "Unless...Unless Road to Nowhere's world isn't just a place with spatial distortion," she said. "It's referring to the ability to see and interact with the distortion as well." "Exactly," Joshua replied. "Road to Nowhere doesn't just distort space - it can pick and choose who can see that distorted space as well. Right now, space is being distorted - the head of the Cobalt Order has carved out some in the wall or floor and is hiding there - we just don't see it."

Alexa crossed her arms. "So he's hiding in the walls, like he was hiding in the walls before. So what?"

So why bring us into Road to Nowhere's world in the first place?" Joshua asked. "Sure, he had more control around us when we were in Road to Nowhere's world, but he was also exposed. He seemed really bent on not getting hit, so why take that chance?" "He was cocky, I guess?" Alexa responded, more of a question than a statement. Joshua briefly paused. "Maybe, but I don't think so," he said.

"What are you getting at, Joshua?" Alexa asked. Joshua grinned. The pounding in his head was still there - a constant throb, not unlike the pulse of Road to Nowhere - so he knew was on the right track. "Imagine Dragons isn't a purely physical attack Stand, you know. It has another ability - one I haven't needed to use in a while. An indomitable willpower that overpowers the mental effects of other Stands, like Stan's fear gaze." "Wait," Alexa said slowly, the full weight of Joshua's statements dawning on her. "So you're saying…"

"Oh, he hid it well," Joshua replied, moving over toward a nearby column. "Pretending he had brought us into Road to Nowhere's world. But I don't think that's what happened at all. I think that when I was looking for the Stand user, Imagine Dragons' unconsciously activated its ability, and dragged us into Road to Nowhere's world." He stopped in front of the column, Imagine Dragons flexing its claws by his side; the pounding in his head was stronger than ever now, ready to burst. "And now, I'm going to drag you out."

" **GRAAAAAAAAAAAAA**!" Imagine Dragons roared, plunging its arm into the pillar. As the shockwave hit the pillar, it folded outward, revealing the broken body of the head of the Cobalt Order, which Imagine Dragons immediately grabbed and slammed on the ground. The pillar refolded into itself as the tentacled staticky mass of Road to Nowhere faded away. "We got you," Joshua said, his serious tone hiding the elation he felt inside himself. They had survived! Not only that, but they had beaten and captured the head of the Cobalt Order himself! Joshua would've jumped for joy, if he hadn't been too exhausted and injured to.

"Yeah, you caught me," the head of the Cobalt Order groaned softly, not even bothering to lift his head. "I can't even move, let alone summon my Stand. Hiding in Road to Nowhere's world was my final option, and you broke through it. You beat me. So now what are you going to do?"

Joshua blinked. He hadn't actually thought about that yet; he had been too focused on not trying to die. Hadn't Stan said something about places that dealt with defeated Stand criminals? Finally, he decided to say, "Well, we can start with you telling us the names, locations, and Stand abilities of everyone in the Cobalt Order."

The head of the Cobalt Order chuckled - or at least tried to, but what came out was more like a wheeze. "Everyone? Hell if I know that, kid." "What? But…" Joshua didn't like the head of the Cobalt Order's response. Something about the entire situation was beginning to fill him with unease. "But aren't you the head of the Cobalt Order? Shouldn't you at least know all of the major points?"

The head of the Cobalt Order wheezed-chuckled even harder. "The head of the Cobalt Order? Me? The big boss? Get real, kid." "But...I thought…" Joshua's head was beginning to spin. _Hadn't he said he was the head of the Cobalt Order?_ "I thought you were…"

"Well, you thought wrong," the not-head of the Cobalt Order taunted. Weakly raising his arm to give a salute, he said, "Augustus Cesar, head of the Cobalt Order's Sector 20, Central East Coast America, at your service. I'm no ordinary grunt, to be sure, I've earned my seat at the grown-ups table - but the big boss? Nah, nothing like that"

"No way..." Joshua said, still in disbelief at Cesar's statement. The entire fight, it was the thought that he could beat the head of the Cobalt Order that kept him going. Now, a question ran though his mind, one that he found himself too frightened to speak: if this guy, who pushed him completely to his limit, was only a subordinate, then what was the Stand of the real head like? "You're really not the head?" he asked instead.

"If I was, do you think I'd be wasting time dealing with a couple of meddling kids?" Cesar replied. "The Cobalt Order is global organization!" He started to laugh, which quickly turned into a violent, bloody cough. "That reminds me," he said after he had finished coughing, "I guess I have to try to recruit you now."

"Recruit us?" Alexa asked skeptically, crossing her arms. "Haven't you been trying to kill us this whole time?" "Yes, but now you've proven yourselves," Cesar replied. "And we always will have a place for strong Stand users like you in the Cobalt Order. Your powers could help us go a long way to achieving our goal." "And what is that?" Joshua asked. Even if Cesar wasn't the head, Joshua realized, he was still one of the Cobalt Order's higher-ups. There was probably still a lot of information they could get out of him. "What does the Cobalt Order want?"

Cesar grinned. "What else? World domination, of course."

 _World domination_... Joshua had always sort of assumed that was their goal, but hearing those words still caught him by surprise. "Ah, but it seems our time together is over," Cesar said softly, interrupting Joshua's thoughts. "My ride is here." "What?" Joshua said, turning around just in time to see Taste of Honey pass in front of him. "Hello, Taste of Honey," Cesar said cheerfully. "Come to take me back to base?"

"No," Taste of Honey said simply, holding up the submachine gun that Cesar had dropped.

 _BANG!_ A single shot squeezed from the trigger.

Dropping the gun onto Cesar's corpse, Taste of Honey turned back to look at Joshua and Alexa, who were staring at the Stand in shock. It said nothing to them, only staring at them for a second before melting into a green puddle of slime. For a moment, absolute silence filled the room, as neither Joshua nor Alexa could find any words to say. Then that silence was abruptly broken by the sound of a ringtone coming from Joshua's pocket.

Shaken out of stupor by the ringtone, Joshua pulled the phone out of his pocket - there were several new cracks in the screen, he bitterly noticed - and answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey! Joshua!" Daniel shouted. "We've managed to get out of the police station - turns out, no one actually reported us as being kidnapped. How are things on your end? Have you managed to capture Rednex?" Joshua could've laughed. _That's right, we were chasing after Rednex,_ were his thoughts as his legs buckled from underneath him and his face rushed toward the concrete floor. As his vision faded, he heard the sound of his phone clattering against the ground. _It seems like it happened so long ago..._

 **-To Be Continued- The Cobalt Order**

* * *

 **Stand User: Augustus Cesar**

 **Stand Name: [Road to Nowhere]**

 **Power: C**

 **Speed: C**

 **Range: B**

 **Durability: D**

 **Precision: B**

 **Developmental Potential: C**

 **Spatial Distortion: Road to Nowhere can alter the dimensions of the space around it, causing objects to stretch, flatten, and warp at its will. It can also pull objects apart to create gaps between them. Distorted objects are not actually physically changed, and are not damaged by the distortion. As such, they will continue to function as if they were not distorted, even seemingly breaking the laws of physics.**

 **Perception Control: By default, Road to Nowhere's spatial distortions have no physical presence and cannot be perceived. However, Road to Nowhere can control who is able to perceive the spatial distortions it creates. People who cannot perceive the distortions cannot physically affect or be physically affected by the distortions, while people who can perceive the distortions can.**


	27. The Cobalt Order

It was the beeping of the heart rate monitor that woke Joshua up. He groaned, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the brightness of the room around him. This was the second time in less than a month than he had woken up staring at incredibly bright overhead lights, he realized as he looked around, but at least this hospital room seemed a lot friendlier than the last one. For one thing, he was lying on a proper hospital bed, and not a metal table. There were an assortment of tubes and monitors to his right, the sort of things you'd typically see next to a hospital, and further beyond that he could see other hospital beds covered by curtains. The room was overall more clean and well-lit, too, like it was actually in use instead of like…

Well, Daniel had said that place had been abandoned, hadn't he?

Joshua tried to sit up to get a better look around the room, but found himself unable to move. His arms and legs felt fuzzy, as if the rest of his body was still asleep, and he struggled to even lift a finger. "Don't try to move so much, now," a familiar voice said: Joshua looked over to see Stan leaning against the opposite wall."You've still lost a lot of blood, and you'll disturb your bandages."

"Stan? Where am I?" Joshua asked confusedly. The last thing he could remember, he had been talking to Daniel on the phone when everything suddenly seemed very dark and far away. "You're in the hospital," Stan answered, walking over to Joshua. "Apparently you collapsed after your fight with an enemy Stand user. Alexa called us with your location, then kept you stable with that Stand of hers until we could take you to the hospital. Good morning, by the way."

 _Good morning..._ Joshua thought. _So I've been out all night, then. That's not good._ Instead of worrying about his concerned and probably very angry mother, though, he asked, "How is Alexa? Is she alright?"

"Hmm? Yes, she's fine," Stan replied. "Some light bruising, but no major damage. Especially compared to you." He reached arm out toward Joshua's forehead, leading Joshua to wonder if Stan meant to check his temperature. Then Stan's fingers struck Joshua forehead with an expertly aimed flick, leaving it lightly stinging with pain.

"Ow, that hurt!" Joshua complained irritatedly, but Stan remained stonefaced. "Rib fractures, lacerations, massive internal _and_ external bleeding: it's really only thanks to Alexa and the good doctors that you're still alive. More importantly, what were you thinking, walking into the building like that?" Stan reprimanded. "I told you to recapture Rednex, not get into a fight with the head of the Cobalt Order! What were you thinking, doing something so reckless!"

"I - You're right. I'm sorry," Joshua said. He _had_ been reckless, he realized; it was only through the tiniest of margins that he had managed to not die in that building. Still, he hadn't died, and that had to count for something, didn't it? "In my defense, it wasn't like I chose to fight him," he said, turning away from Stan. "By the time we realized what was happening, his Stand had already blocked any way to escape. I _had_ to fight for my life." He paused, as the vision of Taste of Honey shooting Cesar flashed in his mind: he had been too tired to really react then, but it was starting to sink in what he had witnessed. "And he wasn't even the head of the Cobalt Order," he said, trying to distract himself from the looping moment in his head.

"Yes, I know. Alexa told me as much," Stan said. With a sigh, he sat down on the edge of Joshua's bed. "You know, you don't have to be doing this," he said. "Going out of your way to fight the Cobalt Order, I mean. This is my job, I do it for my living, but you're still just a kid. You shouldn't be having to fight for your life, or any of this."

 _Oh,_ Joshua thought. _That's what this is about._ "I know I don't have to fight the Cobalt Order," he said slowly. "But the Cobalt Order kidnapped me, and nearly killed me giving me a Stand. To be honest, I still don't fully understand why they did it." The words " _World domination…"_ flashed through his mind as he spoke. "But I do know this," he continued, dismissing the words. "I'm not the first person the Cobalt Order has tried to hurt. I'm probably not the last, either. If I can fight them, then I want to. And frankly, I can fight them."

He had never said it out loud before, though he had been thinking about it for a while: fighting like this seemed to have come surprisingly well to him. He'd never thought of himself as a good fighter - he'd never even been in a fight before - and yet somehow in the past month he had won every insane fight he had been in. Was it because of his new Stand, or was this something that had always been lurking inside of him? He didn't know the answer, and it thrilled (and if he was being honest, scared) him. "I've been in tough situations before, but I haven't lost yet, even to more experienced Stand users - even to you."

 _Oops._ He probably shouldn't have said that: at some point he had started to become impassioned without realizing it. "Besides, I'm certainly on the Cobalt Order's shit list now, if I wasn't before," he said, a lot more meekly. He looked away from Stan, embarrassed that he may have offended him, but Stan only sighed flippantly. "Honestly, all you teens are the same. You get a superpower and suddenly you think you're the next Katniss Everdeen, or whoever it is you're reading about in your books these days," He said, standing up from the bedside. "Well, if you must continue this fight, then as the adult in the room it is my duty to make sure you stay safe in the process." Joshua looked over to see Stan scratching his beard, an ashamed expression on his face. "In other words, I am sorry," Stan said, bowing his head slightly, "that I was not able to help you face that Stand user."

Joshua had to blink. He had been expecting a lecture, not an apology. "It's alright," he said, trying to hide the half-smile that had formed on his face. "It wasn't your fault that you got arrested. How did that go, by the way?"

Stan chuckled, the solemness lifting from his face. "Funny story, that," he said. "After we were brought back to the station, the police couldn't actually find any record of anyone calling in a kidnapping. There was a great amount of confusion, but we were eventually allowed to go." He shook his head. "That damned messenger Stand...I wished Birdhouse in Your Soul could've gotten the chance to sink its claws into it."

"Don't worry," Joshua said. "I got more than enough hits in for the both of us." Good, good," Stan said mirthfully. "Don't shoot the messenger indeed; if anyone deserved to be shot, it was that smug eyeless bastard!" He laughed heartily, but after a few seconds his laughter died down and his face grew serious again. "Still, its a shame," he said. "That was our only lead toward the Cobalt Order. We'll have to start from scratch, and they'll likely be more cautious than ever."

"Yeah, probably," Joshua admitted, staring at the ceiling. The sight of Taste of Honey shooting Cesar once again entered his head. He had been too shocked to realize it at the time, but the more he replayed the head in his head the less sense it made. _Why would Taste of Honey shoot a member of the Cobalt Order?_ Something important had happened in that building, Joshua was sure of it; but what that something meant, he had no idea. Joshua continued to reflect upon the moment for several minutes, the room silent save for the beeping of the heart rate monitor.

That silence was suddenly broken as the door to the room slammed open, and Hiram rushed in, frantically waving a magazine in one hand. "Mr. Istanbul!" he shouted. "Mr. Istanbul! Do you still have…" He came to a halt in front of the hospital bed, trailing off. "Oh, Joshua, you're awake," Hiram said. "Are you alright? You were in really bad shape when we found you."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Joshua replied. "More importantly, what were you asking Stan about?"

"Oh!" Hiram shot up with a start, as if he had forgotten why he had entered the room until now. "Mr. Istanbul! Do you still have that arrow piece?" "Hmm? Of course I still have it," Stan said, holding up the golden piece of metal with a puzzled expression. "You got it back!" Joshua interrupted excitedly upon seeing the piece. In all the chaos in the fight against Cesar, he had almost forgotten that it had been stolen. "Yes, Alexa took it from Cesar after you passed out," Stan responded. "She said she didn't know what it was, but that it seemed important. Honestly, what Daniel was thinking keeping the arrow piece on him…"

"That's good to hear," Joshua said, relievedly sinking back into the bed. Then he suddenly frowned, realizing the full extent of what Stan had said. "Wait. Arrow piece?" He asked Stan, staring at the chunk of metal. It didn't look like it came from an arrow; if anything, he had assumed it had come from a knife or sword. "This is what gave you Imagine Dragons, right?" Stan asked, and when Joshua nodded he said, "There are tales told among Stand hunters of golden arrows that give those shot with it Stands. It's only a rumor, but I know that they exist, so when Daniel told me about this thing I knew it had to be a piece of an arrow."

"How do you know the arrows are real?" Joshua asked. "Because I've seen one before, of course," Stan replied, looking over Joshua gravely, before turning his attention back to Hiram. "Anyway, why did you want to see the arrow piece?"

"Oh! Right!" Hiram shot upright again, holding up the magazine - Smithsonian, Joshua read from the cover. "I was reading this in the waiting room, and there was this article about upcoming exhibits, and -" he cut himself off, flipping the magazine open to a specific page and handing it to Stan. "Well, just look at this!"

Stan's eyebrows shot upward as he scanned the magazine page, his perplexed expression shifting to one of worry. After a few seconds of silence and a sharp intake of air, he said, "Yep, you're right," Before holding up the magazine for Joshua to see. Pictured on the magazine's page in exquisite detail was an antique golden arrow. Most of it seemed relatively simple, but what made it stand out was the arrowhead: large, round, and flat, with sharp edges, it almost more befitting to a shovel than an arrow. Intricate golden pattern marked its surface, almost resembling the wings and body of a dragonfly. "Is that -" Joshua asked.

"It is," Stan confirmed. "A Stand arrow."

* * *

Xander stood outside the door to his office, staring at his phone. His foot tapped impatiently. He could hear the sounds of rustling from behind the door, but he knew that he couldn't enter just yet. His phone would ring in a few seconds, and he would have to answer the call. He knew that the person in his office would still be there when he was done.

The phone had barely begun to vibrate when he answered it, saying cheerfully, "Ah, Bruto! How nice of you to call!" He resisted adding, "How are you?", knowing that Bruto disliked it when his status reports were delayed by pleasantries.

"I just wanted to let you know," Bruto said, "that Augustus Cesar of Sector 20 has been killed." "Oh dear," Xander said with a frown. "That is very unfortunate news." He had already known about Cesar's death, of course but it did not make the news any less said. "His sector had been underperforming as of late, but his Stand made him a powerful asset to our Order, and his presence will be missed."

Bruto grunted disapprovingly. "We will be stronger without him. His incompetence is no longer a necessary burden, now that our plan is so close to completion." "Hmmm," was all Xander said in response. It was true that the Cobalt Order was close to achieving its goal, but he had been this close before, and he knew that it was in this phase when the most things went wrong. Now more than ever, the Cobalt Order needed to stand strong against its enemies, and the defeat of any of its Stand users could only weaken it - not to mention the horrible human cost of that defeat. But Xander did not say any of this to Bruto; he had had such discussions with Bruto before, and he knew that bringing it up again would only waste time. Instead, he said, "I trust that you have begun the process of reorganizing the members of Sector 20 into the rest of our organization."

If Bruto was surprised by Xander's words, he gave no such indication over the phone. "Of course," Bruto said calmly. "I figure that, so close to the culmination of our plans, we shouldn't continue delegating responsibility of that place to a handful of two-bit locals. That's why I've decided to take this opportunity to dissolve the current hierarchy of Sector 20, and implement my personal team in its stead."

"Yes, of course," Xander said. He would've been surprised by Bruto's plan if he hadn't already found out about it. "I leave that place in your capable hands." Rustling noises could still be heard coming from his office; Xander could've hung up the phone now, but he knew that there was more that Bruto had to say. "Anything else you wanted to report?" he asked.

"Actually, now that you mention it, there is one thing," Bruto replied hesitantly. "One of Taste of Honey's copies reported seeing two teenagers at the site of Cesar's death. In addition, recent reports from Sector 20 have included details about a handful of teenage Stand users causing trouble in their area: attacking Cobalt Order members, destruction of Cobalt Order property, that sort of thing. As such, currently we suspect their involvement in the death of Cesar."

"Hmm," Xander said, pretending to consider this for the first time, as if he had not already decided on a course of action. "If this is true, and they defeated Road to Nowhere, then they must have powerful Stands. Have them closely monitored, but do not provoke or attack them. Despite the trouble they've caused, they may still be convinced to join our Order. This can be to our advantage if we play it right - and the Cobalt Order can always use more members, right?"

A short silence followed, and then Bruto curtly said, "Of course," before hanging up.

Xander sighed, putting the phone back in his pocket. The phone call had gone just how he had known it would, and the rustling behind the door still hadn't stopped. _No more delaying it, then,_ Xander thought, and pushed open the door.

The man in Xander's office froze as Xander entered the office, not bothering to turn the room's lights on. Immediately, the man withdrew his hands from one of the drawers in Xander's desk, his startled expression hiding behind a feigned smile. "Boss!" he said, shuffling out from behind the desk awkwardly. "I was just waiting for you - Khan sent me to get a file from your office, and you weren't in, so I thought I would -"

"Arnold, stop," Xander interrupted, holding up a hand. He had heard these sorts of excuses before, and he wasn't interested in wasting time with them again. "You were sent by the Speedwagon Foundation to investigate the Cobalt Order," he said firmly. "You succeeded in infiltrating us, and your skill and Stand ability even got you permission to enter our headquarters. You had enough information to report back to your foundation, but instead you decided you had to learn more about my Stand, which is what led you to break into my office. Is this not true?"

Armold's smile grew wider and more nervous, sweat dripping down his brow. "What?" he said incredulously. "Boss, I…" He trailed off, finding himself unable to look Xander in the eye, the weight of their silence hanging threateningly in the air between them. Then Arnold took a deep breath, and his expression turned serious. "Looks like I got caught red-handed, huh?" he said, as the air behind began to shine with the telltale shimmer of a Stand.

Xander held his hands out in a peacemaking gesture. "Hold on, now. There's no need for us to fight. I just want to talk to you." He did want to talk, truthfully, though he already knew that most of the things he could say would have no effect.

The shimmer of Arnold's Stand disappeared, but he still seemed to be on guard. "I don't want to fight you," Xander said carefully. "I know you came here to destroy us, but I still believe it doesn't have to be that way. You've worked with us for a while now, and you know what our goal is. Why not join us for real? You know that what the Cobalt Order will achieve will not only benefit you, but the entire world."

"Give me a break," Arnold said, as harshly as Xander knew he would be. "If you think the madness you're planning is good for anyone but you, then you're completely delusional. There's no way I'd allow myself to complicit in your insanity; the Cobalt Order must be stopped."

Further reasoning wouldn't work, Xander knew; neither would offerings of power and riches, or flattery toward Arnold's strength. Even appeals for compromise wouldn't work. Arnold was dead set against the Cobalt Order, and Xander knew he had nothing to say that could sway him. As much as he disliked it, there was only one more way to potentially resolve this stand-off peacefully: fear through intimidation. "You know that if you continue to oppose us, I can't afford to let you leave this place alive," Xander said, his voice having grown dark. "I don't want to fight you, but I will not hesitate to kill you if you force me to."

"Try it, then," Arnold responded, and in a flash of light his Stand, a small jet-like creature, rocketed toward Xander faster than he could react - or so Arnold thought. Just before the Stand collided with him, however, Xander effortlessly stepped out of the way, letting the Stand charge past him. It quickly turned itself around, charging toward Xander, but again he sidestepped the attack without looking. "I really don't want to have to kill you," Xander said, continuing to easily dodge past the Stand's assault. "If you submit to the Cobalt Order now, I will forgive everything - even this attack. I am giving you a chance to survive: you should take it."

"Yeah, right," Arnold said, as his Stand flew back to his side. He was clearly unnerved - likely he had never seen someone avoid the blitz-like attacks of his Stand so easily before - but the defiant look on his face hadn't disappeared. "I don't need you to give me anything," Arnold said. "I'll take victory with my own hands!" Just as he said this, Arnold's Stand exploded, breaking apart into hundreds of tiny missile-like objects and filling the dark room with smoke. The tiny missiles shot out of the smoke cloud at breakneck speeds, rocketing directly toward Xander.

Perhaps the oncoming onslaught of hundreds of missiles would seem intimidating to another person, but Xander knew to pay them no mind. _All right then,_ he thought instead, _let's give him a demonstration._ A dark blue arm sprouted from his back, catching Arnold - who in the chaos had snuck behind Xander and picked up a nearby heavy statuette, preparing to swing it at Xander's head - by the throat. The shock of being discovered, combined with the sudden force of Xander's Stand around his neck, caused Arnold to lose focus, and the missiles disappeared before even one of them could hit Xander.

"H-how?" Arnold choked out through the grip of Xander's Stand. "How were you able to dodge my Stand? How did you know?" "The same way I knew everything that was going to happen," Xander replied, twisting to face Arnold. "After all, how many times do you think we've done this?" This was it, Xander knew; he could see it from the hopelessness in Arnold's eyes. He only needed to push a little more to convince Arnold to submit, and he could avoid unnecessary bloodshed. "This is your last chance," he said. "You can't win. Give up and join the Cobalt Order, or I will be forced to kill you."

But instead of hearing a quick surrender, Xander saw Arnold's face once again twist into an expression of defiance. "Fuck you," he snarled, as his Stand reappeared over his shoulder, launching itself at a high velocity toward Xander.

 _That's it, then,_ Xander thought resignedly. He had tried his hardest to resolve things peacefully, but in the end Arnold had chosen no path except futile resistance. A tear rolled down Xander's cheek. _I'm sorry things had to turn out this way._ He had wished, to the bottom of his heart, that he would not have needed to kill a fellow Stand user, but he knew that it was in these times that he needed to harden that heart.

He was Alexander Argead, the man who would lead the Cobalt Order to glory, and nothing could be allowed to get in his way.

" **[We Didn't Start the Fire]**!"

 **-To Be Continued- First Class (Act 1)**

* * *

 **And here we are, nearly one and a half years later, having made it to the halfway point of this story! Actually judging by my story outline, we're more around the 40% mark, but narratively this makes the most sense as the dividing point, so shhh. I'm really happy to have gotten this far, but as we are at a good midway break point, I'd like to take this time to announce that this fic is going on hiatus.**

 **Of course, this isn't a permanent hiatus. As I mentioned above, I've pretty much outlined the whole story, and there are lot more chapters in this fic's future - including some that I've been excited to write since I started this work. However, I do want to take a break from this story to write other things - some that may appear on this site, and some that won't.**

 **The hiatus will end in a year or so, sometime around February 2021, and then I'll be back to finish this story for good. Until then, thank you all for reading and supporting this story! It really has meant a lot to me!**


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